Cerulean Change
by CrimsonAnjel
Summary: AU, Yaoi, Epic: Sasuke is a prince Naruto is a riffraff street orphan. Will fate intertwine these two unlikely souls? SasuxNaru This is a REAL story, with content and plot. CHAPTER 12 IS UP FINALLY!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello faithful readers. Here is a story you might not find often on You know, one with _content_ and _plot_ instead of random love confessions and lemons (although lemons and confessions will play a part in this story).

Just to warn you, this IS a yaoi-based story. So if you don't like that, then don't read it. This is also Alternate Universe, set in the old ages of man (think Aladdin) in a part of the world where dirt roads and houses made of tan clay substances lined cities and huge castles were home to sultans and princes. I am only using a few characters from Naruto. A lot of them will be made up by myself.

Now that that is out of the way! Read, review with your thoughts and comments, and enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 1**

"FUCK YOU!"

"DON'T YOU COME BACK AROUND HERE EVER AGAIN KID! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE THE NEXT TIME I FIND ONE OF MY FRUITS MISSING!"

The blonde-haired boy stormed away from the fruit vendor's cart, fuming angry at the thought that the man would even _think _of blaming him for his lost fruit. He shrugged nonchalantly as he put more distance between himself at the crazy bastard. This kind of treatment towards him was not that uncommon.

Most boys his age wouldn't have to deal with that crap! Of course, most boys his age would be with their parents while walking in the market. And that was just the thing, he didn't have any parents…Every day was like a lottery for Naruto Uzumaki. On the one hand, he could roam wherever he wanted without ever having to worry about chores or responsibilities. But on the other, slightly more worrying hand, he didn't know where his next meal was coming from, let alone where he'd sleep safely away from prying eyes.

For the time being he walked reluctantly away from the market, stomach still grumbling in need of food. 'I'll have to go back later when that old bastard isn't still on the lookout for me if I'm going to get any food today.'

Falling through random alleyways and dirt streets Naruto finally stood in front of his "home", if you can call it that. All he owned was stored in this abandoned one story shack. Walking in he moved with a sigh to the corner wall of his simple surroundings where he had laid down some straw as a make-shift bed. Letting out a deep breath he plopped down onto the hard material and closed his eyes. "I'll, just, go back, for, more…later…"

--

"Make way! Make way! for the prince of Samnoria!" Peasants and merchants and high-class citizens alike moved out of the middle of the road quickly at the sound of the royal presenter's voice. All bowed as the plush box carried on shoulder by 4 strong men clad in jewels and fine clothing passed by. Everyone knew who was on the small carriage even with the blue sheets covering the windows. It spread throughout them a feeling of fear and resolute order. To the adults of the great city of Samnoria in that carriage was prince Sasuke; to the children of Samnoria, he was the man who made their fathers and mothers bow with grace and submission.

Prince Sasuke sat languorously in his cottoned seat, feeling the four men outside of his chamber walking him on his afternoon rounds of the city, followed closely by two or three bodyguards holding wide swords as if to warn on-lookers that the spectacle was there to be seen and not touched. Everything looked the same to Sasuke as he yawned with discontent. Nothing seemed to stand out or pose much interest. There were shops and merchants and tan structured homes lined one after another, home to women and men alike going about their daily routines…Routine. That was the word that captured the scene as Sasuke saw it. Everything had a place and a reason, with not much variability about it. In fact, the only part of his "walk" that made it all worth it was the brief few minutes the guards spent carrying him past the vast ocean where wooden boats held fishermen and the scent of the air created a euphoria of calming wonder.

For those few moments Sasuke would revel in the feel, smell and taste of the seaside hoping one day to step out onto the gritty warm sand and lay contented as waves lapped at his feet. But much like every day preceding this one, soon the men would steer him away from the ever-changing scene and back towards the castle he vaguely knew as home. Running his hands through his raven black hair Sasuke sighed once more as his vision was torn from the ocean and back towards the busy city. Nothing, _nothing_ compared to those few moments of bliss. And the city now looked even more insignificant and displeasing to Sasuke as he passed by the droning citizens once more, seeing the castle not to far off in the distance. 'One of these days... I'll have my chance to look at the world beyond this damned carriage. It will be wonderful.'

--

Naruto woke with a start, feeling beads of sweat lining his forehead as he adjusted his pupils to the dim light of his shack. Whatever was haunting him had vanished as a dream and this fact took many minutes to settle in the disturbed boy's head. Looking up at the holes baring flecks of light from the roof, he remembered it was still day; his stomach remembered it was still day too as it growled hungrily with anticipation of food.

Naruto rolled his eyes at his momentary foolishness and stood up with a resolute smirk placed on his features. 'Hmph, just a dream. I was stupid to think that a mere dream could be real! HA, I am the invincible Naruto Uzumaki and nothing or no one can get to me.' Naruto's smirk turned to a smile, satisfied him that he was fine and in good shape. Then, as quickly as his confidence came to, his smile faltered back into a sad, distant look. "Alright then, I guess its time to rustle up some grub…I'll have to be more careful around that bastard merchant from now on. I can't go getting arrested now can I?" He grabbed his blue bandana from the ground next to his bed and slinked carefully out of his shack, not wanted to draw attention.

"AGH!"

Not looking ahead of him Naruto ran into something hard right as he stepped outdoors. "HEY! _Watch it you little punk! Do you realize whose carriage you just hit?!_" Naruto shook off the throbbing pain in his head and looked up finally, only to see what he dreaded the most. Standing in front of him was one of four men carrying a royal carriage down his road. All the surrounding residents looked up from their bowing positions in horror at the scene before them. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, sir!" Naruto, realizing his error immediately bowed down to the ground. "I didn't look where I was going." The burly guard's evil scowl deepened. "Damn right you didn't! Scum like you should be made examples of!" With that the man kicked Naruto's lowered head hard sending him sprawling back five feet onto is back in pain. Even with the immense pain and bleeding leaking from his whole head and body Naruto didn't dare move now for fear of more serious harm.

--

Sasuke stared out the crevice in the sheet covering his window. He was still lost in his reverie feeling the steady rhythm as his men towed him along the road, when to his surprise the carriage lurked to a quick stop, tossing him slightly forward. He could hear one of his men, probably Darco yelling loudly at someone. Obviously whoever stopped the carriage was not going to be praised. Peeking out hesitantly Sasuke saw Darco scowl at a pleading young boy who was so low in a bow his face could not be seen. As if on cue Darco laid a heavy kick to the boys head knocking him far too hard onto the ground a few feet back. 'Darco must be reprimanding him for stopping us. That kick was still way uncalled too uncalled for, even for a man as cold as he.'

Sasuke swiftly unlatched the door to his chamber in the carriage and jumped out before his guard inside the carriage with him could protest. "Stop at once, Darco! That boy did not deserve a beating." Darco looked shocked at his princes presence outside of his chamber. "My prince, this riff-raff ran into me deliberately! No doubt attempting to pick-pocket me. It was my duty to reprimand him!" Sasuke's eyes narrowed chillingly. "No Darco, you are mistaken. Bring that boy to me." Still looking flushed and angry Darco did as he was bided and brought the heap of the blonde-haired boy to his prince.

Darco stood in front of Sasuke and lifted the head of the offender bringing a grimace to the prince's features. Naruto's face was all battered and red with blood and dirt. And yet, even with this mask of dirt and blood Sasuke saw something new in his face; something beautiful. Looking deep into the pools of his cerulean eyes Sasuke was astonished to see what he had been longing for for so long…Change.

"Put him inside the carriage. We are bringing him back to the castle."

-- -

Alright, there is the first chapter. That will set it up of course for the rest of the story. I'll update often, partially based on reviews, so please tell me what you think!

CrimsonAnjel (I spelled it with a J on purpose)

p.s. If you want to beta this story for errors or inconsistencies I'd be happy to give that a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Here is the second chapter for you! Two reviews are enough I guess to get the ball rolling, haha. Thank you to those who did review so far, I am grateful. Without further ado, here is the second chapter. Enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 2**

Everything was blurry and oddly colored. Blue plush surrounds were barely visible as the boy slowly rose from unconscious slumber. He could remember everything up to the moment he hit the ground after a swift kick from that man. But anything afterwards was undistinguishable in his mind. All he knew now was he was moving, he was comfortable and his head hurt like a bitch.

"Joined the living, have you?" Naruto shot up from his resting spot his eyes regaining vision by the second. He had no clue who was in front of him or why he wasn't dead, but for all of the above he was grateful. Naruto ruefully rubbed his blurry eyes while feeling his head for bumps. "Wha--? I don't…Get it." The other boy chuckled slightly at that. "Oh, so you can speak? Well that's good. I thought I'd have to toss you out of this carriage if you couldn't at least talk." Sasuke smiled 'He looks pretty when he's confused..' Naruto leveled his eyes quickly with the owner of the voice, immediately falling back in the plush cushions when he recognized who it was. "Shit! Wh-why the hell am I in this carriage…You? You're, you're-" "The Prince. Yes." Sasuke smirked, knowing full well his position in life in contrast to someone like the blonde-haired boy in front of him.

Naruto didn't really know how to react. First he was be bashed for his crime of running into a henchman, and now he was sitting comfortably in what looked like the Prince's carriage. Not knowing what else to say Naruto mentioned the most logical thing. "What about that henchman? I-I really didn't think he'd just let me…get on your-"Sasuke rolled his eyes obviously, "Pfft, you mean Draco? He was out of line to attack you in that way. Don't worry about the likes of that loser… Plus, in case you haven't noticed, you're banged up pretty badly. I'm simply taking you back to my home to repair the damages, as you might call it." Naruto shoulders fell, "Home? You mean the castle?...I thought people like me were shunned away from such a holy place." Sasuke rolled his eyes once more, noticing Naruto touching his face for blood. "I'd hardly call it a holy place, boy. And don't worry, I'm in charge remember?" Naruto flinched at the word boy. "My name is Uzumaki, Naruto" he then added lamely "your highness." At this point in the conversation the carriage halted on even ground and was lowered to let Naruto, Sasuke and his guard out.

"Okay--_Naruto_, walk out behind me and look like you own the place. The fewer questions asked, the quicker we get to my chamber." Naruto nodded, still not fully grasping the situation he was in…Or the place he was about to enter.

For years the castle had always been a far off gem in Naruto's eyes; an untouchable shrine of prosperity and wealth that no man of his caliber was ever meant to enter. So as he stepped carefully out onto the marble stairway leading to the inner parts of the castle, Naruto couldn't help but feel a tingle running down his spine. 'Today has been the worst and best day of my life so far. All I need now is food to complete my fortune!'

Sasuke shook his head with uncertainty. He had no clue why he had brought this peasant boy back with him. He could have just as easily left him on the street to tend to his own wounds; but no, he had to live spontaneously and put himself at risk. 'My father won't be too pleased if he finds out that I have brought that Naruto back with me. He'll give me some crap no doubt about "keeping them in their place, and us in ours" …That circle of life bullshit is wearing thin on me. At least this move will prove to stir up _some_ interesting results. I might just have some fun after all.'

--

The sultan of Samnoria sat stoic on his throne smoking his pipe as he did every morning routinely. He stared out the magnificent floor window at the city below him, content for the moment about his place in the world. 'The sea breeze is fresh this morning. My people will have plenty of fish to feast on tonight.' He felt a calm wash over him as he heard the seagulls in the far off distance calling out to their mates.

Interrupting the reverie, his personal guard stood at his side and bowed respectfully. "Good morning, sir! Prince Sasuke has returned from his walk…There is, however, something you should know." The sultan raised his brow, amused, before nodded at the guard to continue. "Sir, young Sasuke has brought someone back with him. It's a _peasant_ _boy_, sir." The sultan turned his body fully towards the guard, frowning at the news. "You mean to tell me that my _son _has brought a _peasant boy _back to the castle? What could have possibly possessed him to act so foolishly?!" Standing abruptly, the sultan delayed anymore conversation with his guard and briskly made his way down the connected corridor in the direction of his son's chambers.

--

"Here, take this and go wash yourself…You look disgusting." Naruto complied with his prince's requested and took the towel off towards the bathroom in pursuit of a much needed bath and relaxation. 'Wow! I've never seen such a place in my life! Beautiful linens everywhere, golden statues, marble floors, fruit to eat everywhere…And look at this bathroom! It is like nothing I have ever dreamed of…' Naruto snickered at his good fortune, ecstatic that he'd finally get to take a REAL bath; not some dip in the ocean, but a real bath! With soap! Stripping himself of his clothes quickly he took to the water with excitement, splashing around in bliss as the warm water, and soap surrounded his aching body. The guards, of course scowled darkly, wanting so much to put the miscreant in his place. Luckily for Naruto the one thing standing between him and some fast action pain was Sasuke's presence and orders.

Plopping on his bed end Sasuke puffed out his breath, deep in thought about what to do next when he heard a sharp knock at his door. 'Shit, I didn't think he'd be this quick to get to me, old bastard.' Sitting up he shouted "Come in." And as Sasuke guessed, the Sultan walked through the door with a not-so-pleasant look upon his features. "Do mind, son of mine, explaining what my guards have just impressed upon me? I am in a fairly good mood today so don't leave out any important details like you did the last time you misbehaved. We wouldn't want a repeat of that incident."

Sasuke smiled sarcastically, "No, we wouldn't. And I don't see the big deal? Draco overreacted because some boy accidentally ran into him. And by over reacted I mean he kicked the shit out of him. Is _that_ the kind of picture you want to paint for our citizens about the type of people we are, sultan?" Sasuke added the last part with a little edge on his voice. The sultan didn't seem any more impressed than when he walked in the door. "Sasuke I understand that you think Draco over reacted-" "I did not think he did. I am _positive_." The Sultan growled impatiently. "Fine. But besides that, why would that incident give you grounds to bring him back _here _of all places? What kind of picture does that paint to our citizens when you bring back a lowly street boy to our CASTLE? If I brought home every damn boy or girl who has been mistreated in my ruling years this castle would be full _to the brim _with them. Your actions are inexcusable! Now tell me, where is this boy now?" Sasuke ceased to argue knowing full well where his big mouth had landed him in the past. Shrugged he pointed to the bathroom where Naruto was now emerging from, fully clothed and in high spirits.

Walking into the main chamber the first thing Naruto saw was the Sultan standing near his prince. 'Whoa, I've never been this close to the Sultan before. I better make a good show of it.' Immediately Naruto bowed in respect, waiting for some kind of recognition from either of them. The Sultan was the first to nod. "You may stand up." His tone was icy, obviously glazing over discomfort and anger. Naruto lifted himself up until he met gaze to gaze with his countries ruler…It was truly a humbling experience for him. Just one look from the man spoke novels of his power and Naruto being as embarrassed as he was couldn't help but blame the prince for the predicament he was about to find himself in. '…He should have left me on the ground.'

Picking up his sarcastic pace again Sasuke added, "So father, what do you think? Not too lowly to be treated with fairness? Or was that lecture of yours only applicable for the rich." Naruto flinch at the prince's comment. He could feel the energy in the room become more and more hostile. This in turn made all three of them more and more uncomfortable. Not mention the number of guards silently occupying the perimeters of the chamber; each one snickering quietly to himself. Surprisingly the Sultan's demeanor calmed down as he spoke. "No son, he is welcome in our home... I would prefer it, however, if you would give me warning the next time you bring your—friends here. That is all." And as quickly as he had walked in, he was gone.

Sasuke rubbed his temples impatiently. "Leave us, guards." Complying with the request, the perimeter guards exited the room. Sasuke turned to Naruto with his smirk re-plastered upon his face."Am I right in guessing that was your first time seeing my Father face to face?" Naruto nodded, noticing the dominating presence of his prince in the room. "Thought so. You know, he was right about one thing. You cannot stay here. Naruto chuckled, "I knew that, sir. Er—Thank you for the bath." Naruto began walking towards the door only to be stopped by that voice again. Only this time, his prince's tone was more sensual as he spoke. "Come here." The blonde-haired boy stopped in his tracks. 'Oh god, I don't think I can look at him. Those black eyes could kill me.' Slowly running his hands through his hair Naruto turned to meet the gaze and hungry eyes of his prince. "I said, come here." The tone this time was more forceful and direct. Naruto found his footing again and walked gingerly up to the prince's bed, standing within feet of him. The heavy scent of spices radiated off Sasuke as he spoke laconically. "Closer." Naruto complied and shuffled closer until only half a foot remained between them. Sasuke then leaned in forward and whispered with a soft cooing voice into the other boy's ear, "You will help me escape tonight…"

-- -

And the plot thickens. See? This story has content…But don't worry, there will be a---closer relationship soon enough. Keep reading my lovely goers, and don't shy from saying what you think. Honestly, reviews tell me what to do :points to little box at bottom left corner of screen: …Thank you!

CrimsonAnjel


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Oh wow! I didn't think I'd reach 10 reviews this quickly! I'm so glad you guys like the story so far and I can't tell you how much your kind words mean to me. That is the kind of stuff that makes an author keep drilling out chapters, so thanks. Here is another one for you. Please tell me what you think and all that. Enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 3**

Heavy footsteps could be heard from yards away as guards ducked hastily out of sight in order to avoid the deadly stare emanating from their Sultan. He strode towards his own room with a look of pure evil stuck on his normally humane and stoic face. 'I was made a fool by my own son! That kind of thing can't happen, damnit! Oh, when that street trash is gotten rid of, I can deal with Sasuke----personally. And that little "Naruto" better be gone by tonight, or so help me I'll throw him out myself. What _was _the shit that came out of my mouth? "He is welcome in our home."? Talk like that can bring someone like me down in the eyes of my people. I'll have to do something about this new boy later, when Sasuke has forgotten him…'

---

"WHAT?!"

"Quiet! And yes, you heard me…You will help me escape tonight." Naruto looked at his prince like he was mad. The idea didn't even sound like a question, but more of a statement. Plus, his eyes didn't yield any sign that he was joking. "But, your highness-" "My name is Sasuke. Call me that." Naruto nodded. "…Sasuke. Why do you want to leave such a wonderful place?! You don't know how good you have it! And, even more important, how the hell could I help you do that?" Sasuke smirked, a simple smile of victory and knowingness placed on his face. "You forget I know this castle inside and out. I can easily think of a way to get, if you vould help me from there. Will you help me?" Naruto thought about for a second before nodding hesitantly, not knowing how his day had gone from stealing food at the market to helping the _prince-_er-_Sasuke_ escape from the most fortified castle in the known world. "Good. Now I may have a chance at getting away from this wretched place..."

Naruto spoke up quietly. "You know—Sasuke, city life is not as fun as you might imagine. It is different out there then it is from inside your carriage. There is no guarantee that you'll have a place to sleep, food to eat, or safety from trouble, even with someone like me around. Look, I'm still trying to understand why I'm here right now, in your castle, and now I'm supposed to bring you back to the world _I _live in? It's not fun at all living that life. I mean…" Sasuke sighed knowing full well that getting the boy to agree to his idea wouldn't be as easy as question and answer.

"I know I have it good living here, Naruto. But that's just the problem! There's no mystery to my life, no spontaneity, no guessing or wondering. This day has gone by _really _quickly and I know we just met; but for some reason, I trust you. Does that mean anything at all? ...I've passed by the sea so many times, never being able to swim in it. I've looked at all the children playing tag with each other and running to their parents with a huge smile on their faces…I've never had that. That's all I'm asking of you; just a little adventure, if only for a day..." Naruto sighed and nodded, reluctant to speak again. "Ok. I can help you…Just one thing, Sasuke. You have to _promise_ that once outside these walls you'll listen to me and follow my lead. People won't always recognize you as a prince if you're some kid on the street. That means you can't just go strutting around like you own the place…Sorry, you _do _own the place but what I mean is you can't just go up to people and--" Naruto's ramblings were cut short as Sasuke swiftly shot forward pressed his lips forcefully to the other boy's; momentarily tasting the soft sweet skin before pulling back equally as fast. Looking intently into those cerulean eyes he continued. "Now, here is the plan…"

---

The cool night-time breeze flowed past Naruto, jostling his hair as he stood silently in the shadows of the castle walls. 'Damn my head still hurts. Those guards didn't exactly "escort me out of the castle" like Sasuke promised they would. That was probably the doing of the Sultan. Ugh.. Still, it will all be worth it once this works out. The only thing left to hope for as for as success is that he makes it here without getting caught. And that he wears what I told him to put on to stop people from recognizing him. That would suck beyond anything if he was recognized. Fuck, I'm _really _putting myself at risk here! All in the name of—love? Do I love him?...God that's not even something I can conceive yet…He's my PRINCE for fucks sake, how can I draw such a big conclusion from one tiny kiss when I barely know him at all…It has been that kind of day though. Also there's the little fact of my life being a dead end since day one; this could be my one and only chance to rise above my pettiness and live well. I could kiss him for that! Wait I did, didn't I? He kissed me actually…' Naruto blushed to himself.

Homosexuality wasn't anything new to him living in the world he did. It was often among commoners to have that type of relationship and it wasn't really shunned by the general public. Naruto knew himself that he never cared for any of the girls his age and with that he had come to terms a long time before about his sexuality. 'So why didn't I kiss back? …Oh—that can wait for later. I've gotta concentrate on getting him out of that place first!"

The small grate next to where the cerulean-eyed angel stood shuffled a little, pulling him from his thoughts. Remembering the plan, Naruto bent over and pulled out the rusted grating with expert strength revealing a tuff of raven-black hair on the other side. "Here, grab my hand," Naruto whispered hoping no one was around to see this peculiar act, "Hurry up." Pulling forcefully one the outstretched handed Naruto fell backward as Sasuke popped out of the pipe and onto his waist in an embarrassing position. "Oh. Sorry." Sasuke smiled genuinely at the blush on the blonde's face. Startling Naruto and himself he pressed his body to the other boy, giving him a chaste kiss. The blonde-haired boy's eyes widened at the contact and he tried to return the kiss, but was cut short as Sasuke stood on his feet, brushing himself off.

"So this is what freedom feels like! You know, I've tried escaping that damned place many times before, each time failing miserably. You're idea was brilliant, Naruto!" Naruto stood up also and laughed, scratching the back of his head. "It was nothing, really. I use that technique to get away from angry merchants all the time." Naruto quickly regained his composer and lowered his tone. "Ok, Sasuke put on the hood please and follow me quietly. I just hope no one has disturbed my shack while I've been gone so we need to be quick to get back; I don't usually leave it for more than an hour at a time." Sasuke nodded, realized quickly that he was out of his element now and would do best to follow Naruto's orders. It was kind of humorous to him in a way. He had never _ever _had to follow orders from anyone but his father and he knew damn well that now would be a good time to start learning to be humble.

Naruto lead-rather _jogged_ Sasuke through the streets of Samnoria keeping both of them hidden as well as possible from the few people still out roaming. His pace was partially to stay out of view and partially to make time back to his home; if anything was wrong he'd have some major problems. Reaching the shack without much trouble they opened the door and walked in…

Immediately they both saw what Naruto feared would happen. Everything he had laid out for himself: his bed, candles, food supply, flint and tinder, wood and water barrel—were gone… "FUCK! Shit, damnit, _fuck!_ I knew this would happen! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap." Naruto saw that everything he had spent the last year stealing, finding and hoarding was gone. 'Cause and effect I guess.' "Everything has been stolen…Why does it not surprise me?" Sasuke's previous smiled dissipated as he finally understood what it meant to live this life. Everything wasn't just handed to you on a silver platter. What he took for granted was all other held on to. People could steal and take from each other as they pleased and nothing could be done about it! Sasuke felt a feeling inside of him he wasn't used to feeling… Guilt.

"Naruto…I'm sorry I made you do this. Now all your possessions are gone..." Naruto, as if remembering something stood up, the calm façade replacing itself on his features. "No Sasuke, not everything was stolen. Nothing was stolen really." Walking over to a corner of the shack Naruto pulled up an old plank in the ground, pulling out a wooden box. "Here. Everything that matters to me is in this box; anything else I can get more of…This is my real treasure…"

-----

Well, that's another one done! I seriously have never been able to write three chapters three nights in a row before. You guys are such a nice inspiration! …Keep reviewing and fueling my passion. I love you guys for that.

CrimsonAnjel


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I'm back again with another chapter! I love all the reviews I've gotten so far, so thank you so much!—and I'm hoping to get many more as the story progresses and eventually finishes (My goal is fifty or a hundred . I figure, and this many come out totally wrong and sound shitty, that if so many mediocre stories with bad cases of OOCness and quick sex scenes with NO plot can get 100 reviews, then so can I! ((And I'll earn it the honest way without slutting my talents out with random lemons)) (((This doesn't mean there will be no lemons in this story , I'll get to it when the time is right))) …Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 4**

Naruto sat next to his prince on the cold ground of his shack as Sasuke ran his fingers over the beautifully carved wooden box sitting in his lap. On it was many swirling grooves leading up to a detailed leaf symbol he recognized vaguely. Wasting no more time to see what was inside the box Sasuke opened the lid, revealing something he was not expecting… Inside the box lay two items: A picture of a middle-aged man and woman smiling brightly--and a small crystal on silver chain; cut to mirror the color of Naruto's eyes…

"…The picture is of my mother and father. I don't really remember them because they died when I was very young…This picture is all I have left to cherish them by. Read the back, that's what always kills me." Sasuke nodded in sympathy and turned over the browning piece of paper:

"To our son, whose eyes shine a deeper blue than any sea..."

Naruto let out a breath, picking up his tone of voice to get away from the empty feeling he had inside. "I don't know much about the crystal, though…I always figured it was given to me to accentuate what the picture says on the back." Sasuke replaced the items in the box and stood, handing it back to its owner. 'I guess life out here really does suck. Maybe all the bitching I did abut my own mother's death was really childish…I'm so sorry my Naruto, I'll make it up to you, things will get better for you.' Sighing Sasuke replied, "I'm sure it was." Sasuke blushed at what he was about to say. "And you know…They had it right---what they said on there, I mean." Naruto smiled, noticing the slight blush on his prince's face. "Thank you, Sasuke…For everything. I don't really know where I'd be right now if you wouldn't have saved me from that awful guard. This whole day has been really wonderful; so yeah, you won't hear me saying sappy stuff often, but thank you so much for being here—with me." Sasuke chuckled at the lowering in the blond-haired boy's voice as he said the last part. "Trust me, I don't usually act like this either. You have some strange power over me, I swear…" Sasuke chuckled.

Naruto surprised both of them by quickly moving over to Sasuke and embracing him in a tight hug that last for a long time as they both enjoyed each other's heated presence so close.

--

The sultan sat pensively at his desk, looking down at the many papers he was to sign as if they were poison. His outer mood had gotten better over the last few hours, but inside he was still in turmoil. 'Today was a good day—_every day _is a good day until that boy of mine goes off and does something outrageous…If only his mother was still here to break that icy shell of his…Her deep blue eyes could cure any problem in seconds when she would smile at you; melting your doubts like they weren't even there. I can almost see why my Sasuke brought back that boy. Just looking at him for a moment I too noticed the uncanny similarity between his eyes and Sasuke's mother's. It is all the more reason I suppose to get rid of him.'

For the second time that day the Sultan's thoughts were disturbed by a sharp knock on his door. The sultan admitted whoever was at the door to enter. To his astonishment his chief general officer entered the room briskly, making his way over towards his commander. 'He only comes to me personally when something extremely important happens. Shit.' The general stood next to his sultan and bowed curtly. "Sir, there is a problem. It seems prince Sasuke has attempted to escape again…He succeeded this time, sir." The general said the last part of the line hesitantly, hoping not to be the first to feel the sultan's wrath. Unfortunately he would have to as the sultan stood so fast he knocked down his chair in the process. "WHAT?! Well have you sent anyone out to find him?! This is an outrage, the best armed forces in the _world_ and you let a _kid _slip by. No, not just a kid! But the _prince_?!" The general winced, "Sorry, sir. I've sent out two search parties already which should be plenty enough men to find Sasuke-" The general was cut short as the sultan began again in a tone so quiet it was deadly. "You will find him in 24 hours; do I make myself clear?" The general nodded nervously and bowed before exiting on fast feet.

--

Naruto looked around te shack, surveying the damage. "Here, I still have some straw left. You sleep on that; I am perfectly comfortable on the floor." Walking towards Naruto Sasuke's smirk was visible even in the dark room. "Its way too cold outside, Naruto, you'll catch a cold if you sleep on the ground." Sasuke pulled all the straw together in the corner and laid on it, patting the small space of straw next to him. "You will sleep next to me, and that's an _order _from your prince." Naruto's eyes widened ten fold. "Uh, I um, well that isn't enough room, well I don't know—I…" Sasuke rolled his eyes playfully, jolting up and pressing his body towards Naruto's sensually. Sasuke breathed huskily into Naruto's ear, "Don't worry, I won't bite. Besides…You're nice and warm." Naruto shuddered involuntarily, pressing his body back into the warm boy and smelling the spicy scent that was Sasuke.

Sasuke hungrily dipped down and bit the blonde-haired angel's neck, marking the flesh as he sucked and kissed at it. Naruto moaned instinctively, shuddering once more as he realized what was happening. Taking a chance on the situation he snaked his hands up the prince's shirt, feeling any piece of hot flesh he could reach. He didn't even care what happened, he needed to feel him close; he needed to touch him.

Sasuke moaned at the contact and lowered his chaste kisses slowly down Naruto, biting and licking stopping only to lift the orange top off the boy. He replaced the shirt with his soft lips, dancing across the sensitive skin as he licked at the sensitive nubs on Naruto's chest one at a time. Blowing hot air onto the wet skin he continued his ministrations causing the other boy to moan deep within his throat.

Naruto couldn't hold himself still as he felt the wondrous things Sasuke was doing to him. His erection sprang to attention, hardening painfully in his loose pants. Feeling more need, Naruto couldn't stop himself any longer. He pulled Sasuke's head up to him, kissing him deeply without warning. Sasuke caught his breath after moaning at the contact and ran his tongue along Naruto's bottom lip desperate for entry; which Naruto was all too happy to grant. Their tongues wrestled feverishly seeking to map out ever crevice of the others mouth in an ancient dance of lust. 'Holy shit, what is happening?! Oh yes! Sasuke tastes so damn good! I want to stay like this forever.'

The raven-Haired beauty was the first to initiate more as his hand wandered downwards sensually feeling every dip and curve before reaching its destination…Sasuke didn't hesitate at all as he touched the head of Naruto's sensitive hard-on, causing it to twitch slightly at the contact. Smiling into the kissing he wrapped his had around the covered manhood and began stroking it in time with the kiss. In heaven, it was all Naruto could do to stop himself from reaching orgasm right there as he moaned loudly into the never-ending kiss. Repeating Sasuke's actions he found his way down to the prince's erection, rubbing it feverishly as his breathing quickened.

Sasuke broke the kiss reluctantly having very little breath to spare and pushed Naruto down onto the pile of straw. Landing on his waist he felt his erection rubbed together with his lover's, eliciting another moan from Naruto. Wasting no time he kissed Naruto again roughly and reached down nearly ripped off Naruto's pants in search of his prize. Grabbing the exposed erection his stroked it in time with his own hand after he pulled down his own pants. Naruto wasn't about to be outdone by Sasuke so he broke the kiss and sat up with considerable effort and replaced Sasuke's stroking hand with his own, touching the heated tube of flesh in time with Sasuke's warm hand.

Their breaths came in short rasps as they stroked each other faster and faster with each coming second. Both Naruto and Sasuke soon felt their bodies tighten up as a surge of electricity simultaneously took them over.

"NARUTOOO!" "SASUKEEE!"

Reaching orgasm they both collapsed in a sweaty heap on each other, glistening in the moonlight from the roof holes. Sasuke with his last bit of strength spooned Naruto's back into him as he fell back into the best sleep he could remember…"

-- -

HA! Betcha didn't think I'd add a lemon in already ! I told you, I'm full of surprises. See? Isn't that good incentive to review! :Rolls eyes:---sorry, the dark side of my brain likes to take over sometimes. Please tell me if you liked the lemon—I've read over 1000 romance/lemon fics (no joke estimate) on but this is the first real one I've ever written so be nice and all that crap (God I sound like a fic cherry!). Love you guys! (And much like these four chapters if posted so far more will come very soon!)

CrimsonAnjel


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **So sorry for the day delay my lovely readers. As I said before, I took the time out today to write an outlined plot and all. Hopefully the story will have good direction and your inquiries about what happens next will be answered.

Thank you again for reviewing! You have no idea how good it feels to come home from school and see that my inbox has something other than junk mail in it . So please continue to fuel my passion with great reviews (minus the flames of course), and I will continue to give you want you want in a timely manner. Enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 5**

Like numerous pieces of sparkling dust, the sun shone through the many holes in the roof of Naruto's shack. All the bits of light hit the soft tanned back of Sasuke Uchiha brilliantly, mapping out is toned form piece by piece. He lay peacefully with his eyes closed; breathing softly in dreamland as it rustled the blonde hair of the boy spooned against his side. Both boys had a smile playing on their faces, dreaming of happy things for once and feeling the warmth of someone close to them for once.

If someone had looked at them only briefly they would have sworn that the sleeping forms were one; a living, breathing entity of cosmic timing and synchronicity, breathing as one, molding together as one. Even in the short amount of time they had spent together Sasuke and Naruto fit, like shapes in a puzzle destined to go together and form a perfect picture…Nothing was more enchanting and tranquil as the pair of them in the morning light.

--

Jogging half-heartedly with exhaustion the member of the "Sasuke search party", as it had been dubbed, looked from side to side at the houses lining the street hoping to gain a glimpse of raven-black hair so he could stop his never-ending trudge. With no luck so far he heaved a sigh and turned to his comrade with a solemn face. "Oiy, Warue! Why da 'ell do we have to keep searchin', man? This is goin' nowheres, and I for one am 'ungry and tired…Can't we just stop for a quick break, man?" Warue looked back at his comrade with a longing to say "Yes" but mouthed a quick no as he saw the troop officer make his way to them, also in a very bad mood. "Did I hear someone complaining about this search, you rat bastards?! Or do you want to take _double _shift and keep going all day?! This isn't a choice lazy-guts; either you do as you're told or I report you to the general…And none of the likes of you would fare well in his company, mind you! …Pick up the pace slackers!" Holding his grudge inside the soldier with the mouth nodded submissively "Yes sir…I was only jokin', I'm ready to continue." The troop jogged on in an orderly fashion, asking questions of the citizens without say outright that the prince was missing.

--

A small rustling was heard inside the shack as the straw moved under the wakening form of the prince. His eyes fluttered open in fairytale fashion as he adjusted to the morning light shining in from the outdoors as well as the flecks of Sun overhead. Faint sounds could be heard from outside the dwelling as the many villagers hustled and bustled about their daily routines, waking with the Sun like every morning. 'I don't think it was smart to sleep this late…However, I also don't doubt we had a good reason to. I mean, after last night I _should_ be asleep…' Sasuke blushed as the memories of the night's events played over in his head like a movie. 'Damn, this might be awkward when he wakes…But I really don't want to wake him just yet. He looks so calm and peaceful when he sleeps. Not to mention he is very warm to touch.' Blushing again Sasuke lifted up the upper half of his body shaking off the sleep in his eyes. The form next to him rustled and yawned in wakefulness at the sudden movement.

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he realized what the time was due to the Sun in the sky. Sitting up also he smiled freely at the boy beside him. "Morning, Sasuke. I guess we kinda slept longer then planned, huh?" Sasuke nodded, returning the smile. "Mhmm…Is that a big problem?" Naruto looked back at his prince fearfully. "Not if you want to get recognized, it isn't. But yeah, it's gonna be a bigger challenge smuggling you out of the city in broad daylight." Sasuke chuckled at the term smuggle. Having nothing else to add he stood up from the straw, noticing finally that he was still naked from the night before. Blushing furious along with Naruto he grabbed his pants and put them on quickly. Naruto followed in suit noticing his nakedness as well. 'His body is so pretty…' As he stood fully clothed and ready to go Naruto felt his stomach rumble loudly. "Erm, I guess we should stop at the market to get something to eat before going.."

Sasuke nodded, also feeling the pang of hunger in his stomach. "Um, Naruto? Where is it exactly we _are _going?" Naruto smirked with pride. He had thought of this whole thing while waiting outside the castle walls for Sasuke. He knew exactly how to execute the plan and was confident in his abilities. "We are going to Camnio, Sasuke. It is a slightly smaller city ruled by our government on an island not too far off the coast. Just follow me and be quick and it should work out ok." Sasuke frowned, "I know of Camnio. My father has officials from there over frequently." Sasuke felt less than sure the plan would work especially without transport to the island. If Naruto was expecting him, prince and heir to the throne of Samnoria to swim in shark infested waters he had another thing coming. 'I don't see how this can work, but I think I can trust Naruto o get us their in one piece.'

Grabbing his blue bandana off the ground and fastening around his head in the usual way Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and lead him out into the streets of Samnoria…Not before putting the hood of Sasuke's borrowed cloak over him first.

Outside the shack Naruto pulled Sasuke along the streets not letting him stop and enjoy freedom as he had hoped to. With expert knowledge of the roads and alleyways Naruto had them on the rooftop right above his favorite place to eat in no time. "Ok... This cart has all kinds of fruits and things to eat on it! The trick to getting the food without getting caught is to make a distraction. The old bastard who runs this particular cart is easily distracted by anything or anyone who can steal. I'll show you how to do it and we'll be eating in no time." Sasuke held his arm over Naruto's chest stopping him from executing his plan as he wanted to. "Here, why can't we just buy the food?" Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin that gleamed in the sunlight as he handed it to Naruto. Naruto chuckled at the offered coin, shaking his head. "Out here, that kind of money doesn't exist. It would cause too much of a scene to hand someone that much money…Most people buy and sell with copper pieces." Sasuke arched an eyebrow, not really having a very good grasp on the value or importance of money, which was understandable. "Ok handy man; show me what you can do."

Naruto smirked, ready to show his…Lover? Whatever, ready to show _Sasuke _what he could really do. As he took a step to jump over the edge he noticed a blob of blue uniforms jogging down the road in his direction. Looking closer he recognized them as Samnoria soldiers; but why would they be out in the open in such a large group? 'Well, there goes my original plan…' Thinking for a moment, he turned around and pulled Sasuke to the ground next to him, covering them from the soldiers' view. "What the hell is going on, Naruto? Aren't we supposed to eat?" Naruto shushed the prince with his hand relaying to him what he just saw. "Now is definitely not the time to be playing tricks on food vendors. If your dad sent out _that _many troops in search of you I don't think it is safe to stay in Samnoria any longer." Sasuke closed his eyes and hit his head a few times on the wall behind him… 'Damnit. I knew father would make this a challenge.'

Without thinking about it Naruto leaned over kissed his prince briefly, causing the other boy to blush. "Do you trust me?" Sasuke nodded, seemingly unable to speak. "Good. Then when I tell you to run, follow me as quickly as your feet will let you, ok?" Another nod…"Ready……Now!" Standing up swiftly, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and jumped off the ledge landing on the clothed ceiling of a vendor's cart. Sliding off onto the ground both boys ran as fast as they could, Sasuke noticing the soldiers disappearing around the corner at that same moment.

Hitting the sand for the first time in his life Sasuke felt the uneven surface move around under him as he sprinted along with his Naruto. They didn't stop for anyone until they reached a small wooded area overlooking the sea about a mile away. Panting from the workout, both teenagers held an arm against a nearby tree for support as they caught their breath. "God Naruto, what was the rush for? I'm sure they wouldn't have even seen us if we walked here." Naruto shook his head, "There are bound to be more…It isn't safe to stay in the city if we can help it. Come on, I know where we can set up a camp for a bit." Grabbing Sasuke's hand for the hundredth time that day he lead them to an area where there was enough room to set up a small fire as well as having enough trees to cover the light. It was simple, but effective if they were to stay their for more then an hour.

Both boys sat down and rested against another tree, finally feeling safe from capture. With a heavy, burdening sigh Naruto remembered something… "I need to go back, Sasuke…" Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows at the comment, "Weren't you just saying that it wasn't wise to return to the city?" Naruto nodded sadly. "It's risky, but I have to go alone back to the city…I forgot my wooden box."

-- -

There you go! Sorry, it wasn't as long as I planned… It's almost 1 am and I have to go to work at 9:30 tomorrow morning. Also, I'm going to my other parent's house tomorrow so I don't think I want to update until I get back to this computer (which will be in a week). Please review and tell me if that's okay (and of course review about this chapter!) : (. If enough people say no to me waiting the week I just might keep writing it over there! . I aim to please, so tell me what you want!

Your ever-loving servant

CrimsonAnjel -


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hello again everyone! Thank you to those who have reviewed so far, it is wonderful to hear what you have to say. I also may learn something from you ;). I haven't posted for a few days because I started working and I've been really sick...I know! It's no excuse :(. I tried to make this chapter I little bit longer, and more action oriented. This story is going to have a lot of action in it, hopefully both kinds...It IS an epic after all...

I noticed a few people comment on the length of my chapters. My answer to that is simple: I'm going to (hopefully, and most likely) post one chapter a day, so the length shouldn't be a problem if you're getting one every day, right?

Please read, review and of course enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 6**

Twilight bathed the beach in a orangey glow as the fading light shimmered off every grain of sand. The shores cradled the slow lapping waves as they kissed the edge of the sand, pulling the warmth of the shoreline together with the calming chill of the sea causing both worlds to blend as if they were never anything more than one.

Naruto didn't stop this time to admire the natural wonder as he raced with a seemingly endless flow of energy towards the city he left behind only hours before hand. There was only one goal to be achieved by returning to the ghost land that felt as unconnecting as his thoughts. The single item that made any place home and any corner familiar to him was there. His beautiful box... No, it wasn't even the box itself! He didn't care for the wood or the carvings or the deep brown glaze. All that mattered to him was contained _inside _it. The picture he held so close every night–the sapphire jewel that never lost it's unique radiance...Those were the things he had to have to continue on. Naruto silently cursed himself for leaving them behind, not caring that it wasn't his fault. Few things in life were important enough to have him risking everything as he was to keep safe. 'I can't leave Samnoria without them...Shit! Why me? ...Sasuke, please wait for me; please don't shun my decision--you don't understand...You will never understand what it is like to have barely anything to hang onto, telling you that you are alive; keeping you upright. I need to have these things close. Please understand my idiocy...'

--

Sasuke sat languorously against a mossy tree. 'Naruto...Please hurry back. I know I can never understand what those items mean to you, but for both our sakes comes back in one piece! Material things come and go around me like wind and I know I cannot relate to having something kept so dear...The only thing dear to me died so long ago, tearing my heart in millions of pieces across the world. But you can change this is if you only live...You and me, we'll find each piece and live as if no pain could ever exist! I promise you, we will.'

--

As night approached so did the chilling weather. Gusts breezed throughout roadways, flailing around any stray piece of paper or thin material with icy resolve. No one was exempt from its chill, including the troops still in constant search of their lost prince. The wary and irritated soldiers had been keeping the jogging pace for nearly two days, now silently praying to any god that the mischievous prince would walk out of one of the homes and concede to going home. But this of course was not the case... So on they trudged, like robots–very annoyed and angry robots that is, with no zeal to keep them happy.

"Move your lazy asses boys! This isn't a damn parade; keep up the pace!" Draconis, older brother of Darco barked out orders to his search party as he hoped himself that the brat prince would show up. 'If only he wasn't royalty, I'd have that boy killing–NO! I'd throttle his little throat myself, little bastard.' Keeping his heavy eyelids peeled open, Draconis kept his eyes moving; partially to stay awake and partially to catch a glimpse of the raven-haired boy himself. As he was looking off into the dark roadway, wind biting at his face, he did not catch a glimpse of black; quite the contrary actually. His gaze came across something orange off in the distance. And seeing no reason to not go towards the person, if not only to question him, he directed his troops in that direction, picking up the pace two-fold.

Approaching what Draconis now recognized as a boy running he ran himself ahead of the group and tried to make out who the boy was in the silver light of the moon. He got ten feet away from the boy before the little escape artist ducked with miraculous speed into an alleyway, but not before Draconis saw what he looked like. 'That boy! He looked exactly as my brother described the peasant brought to the castle. Blonde, spiky hair in a blue bandana; orange clothing; and the strange cat-like scars on his face. That had to be him, and I want him found! He would surely know the whereabouts of Prince Sasuke.' Draconis turned back to his subordinates with an evil smirk upon his face making some of the soldiers cringe. "That child knows the prince. Find him at any cost! **_GO!_**" All the soldiers broke smartly off into groups of two and left in separate directions, running in the general direction of the strange boy in orange...

--

Naruto's breath quickened in fear after he narrowly escaped the many troops running after him, including the huge man in the front of the group. He looked like he could do some major damage with that 6 foot sword strapped to his back. So wasting no more time, Naruto continued running towards his shack, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of blue uniforms.

Finally and without any more trouble he slammed through the door of his former dwelling, Throwing open the boards on the ground as he reached them. He grabbed the box from below, shoved the picture in his pocket, wore the necklace around his neck and exited, leaving the box behind to be pilfered by someone who needed it more. Running in the shadows back towards the beach Naruto hoped upon hope for safe passage back to his Sasuke. He was already missing the prince's company and comforting warmth and he feared they might never see each other again. They needed to leave Samnoria-----now.

As he rounded a corner in his fevered rush Naruto didn't notice the man before him as his uniform blended with the night. Running into him head-on, Naruto landed on the ground with a thump. Looking up he saw the one person in the world he feared the most starring right back at him. 'Great job Naruto, two times in one day, you're a smart one!' Darco looked down half surprised and half enraged at the one who dared run into him. Seeing Naruto on the ground as he did earlier that day, his enraged look changed quickly into a sadistic smile. "Well hello there, punk. Come back for round two, have you?" Naruto's Cerulean eyes widened as his pupil grew small in shock. Saying nothing Naruto kipped off the ground in a flash and pushed off the wall to boost his speed as he ran for dear life away from the terror of Darco. "HEY YOU LITTLE BITCH, COME BACK!" Darco ran full speed after his pray, followed closely by his search party.

Naruto felt beads of sweat run down every part of his body. Chills of terror crept down his spine as he ran faster than he ever remembered running; pulling out energy from deep within himself to keep going. His legs ached, but he didn't _dare _look back to see if they were gaining on him. He felt the heat one feels when they know they are being closely followed and it only served to make him push harder. Hitting the uneven surface of sand and seeing the trees ahead of him filled Naruto with a sense of reason; at least he could visualize how much longer he'd have to keep the pace going. And to his amazing luck he heard a loud "oof" behind him as presumably Darco tripped and fell on the sand delaying his capture. 'Only twenty more feet and I can lose them!', Naruto screamed to himself. The trees rapidly grew larger as he approached them. And with one final burst of speed he broke the edge of the forest, not before hearing the dull thud of an arrow landing inches from his head and into the tree next to him.

--

Sasuke couldn't hold his bored curiosity any longer and began walking back towards the city side of the trees. He only advanced a few feet when the blurred form of Naruto grabbed him roughly and pulled him into a run. Looking backwards briefly he saw a whole group of his father's guards lead by a livid Darco chasing them on fast feet. 'Oh god, what did you get us into Naruto?!' Both boys continued running and soon broke out of the small forest and back onto another part of the beach, where just as Naruto planned there was a small wooden boat docked in the shallows. Naruto, thinking on his feet ran ahead of Sasuke with a dagger from his pocket and severed through the rope attaching the boat to land in one expert swipe. Sasuke, assessed the situation correctly and jumped into the craft as Naruto pushed off with immense force, shoving them both out to sea.

Darco also saw the boat ahead and knew he couldn't catch them once they boarded it. Realizing his only good option, he stopped dead in his tracks, kneeled down and pulled out his bow. He notched an arrow to it with expertise and took aim at his target. 'My only shot ... Three ... Two ... One... NOW!'

"AGH!"

The arrow struck Naruto in the shoulder causing him to fall forward harshly into Sasuke. Feeling the pain shoot through him like millions of little arrows, Naruto grabbed the offending arrow and with one strong tug wrenched it from his shoulder. He took the time afterwards to throw it back in the direction of Darco with an unsteady smirk placed upon his dark face as the arrow landed at Darco's feet. Both boys then grabbed an oar and rowed as quickly as their limbs would let them out to sea...

Darco frowned at the arrow and looked up triumphantly at his prey. "You've got spunk kid, I'll give you that! But mark my words, when you come back you and my sword have a date with destiny! Regardless of what your snot-nosed little prince says–YOU'RE DEAD!" Darco laughed loudly echoing off the shore, "DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME!?"...

--

The moon cast an eery light upon the slowly rocking sea and the boat occupying it. The wooden craft creaked quietly as Sasuke rowed it alone. The boy across from him held his head down keeping his face from view as ragged breathes came out unevenly. Naruto sat silently in pain and fatigue holding his bleeding shoulder to squelch the pain as best he could. This act took all the remaining energy left in him, keeping him still and silent.

Sasuke on the other end held worry in his eyes as he looked on at his injured love; once more scared that he might lose something dear to him again. The feeling of regret for not going with Naruto back to Samnoria overshadowed this pained emotion, and made a foreign, watery substance crawl around the edges of his eyes. Sasuke hated himself for dragging Naruto into his life; he hated having all his problems bare their weight on Naruto's shoulders. 'I'm so sorry Naruto...I never meant for any of this to happen. I never wanted anything more than adventure; to experience new things...I guess this is what I deserve...I truly am just a selfish little brat, aren't I? But things will change if you stay with me, my love. From what I've seen, you are strong; stronger than I can ever hope to be. If you stay with me I promise to let you shine and be known as great to all those around you...I love you even now, when I hardly know you. I love you Naruto...' He leaned in and softly touched his lips to Naruto's, eliciting a small smile from his love.

Way off in the distance land could be seen–safe land, where they could be free. Rowing steadily in its direction Sasuke smiled genuinely. They really did it! They were free of Samnoria's clutches, and the visibility of Camnio only furthered to prove this point.

They were finally free...

– -

There is chapter six! Please please please tell me what you think in the form of a review. I wanna keep posting every day, and your replies are just the thing to help me do it!

Thank you for reading and I'll be back soon

CrimsonAnjel


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Ok, now that I'm done bitching about my work, here is the next chapter. I'm mixing it up a little so I hope you like it. Enjoy!

I also made this one longer because you've waited so patiently to read it .

**Cerulean Change Chapter 7**

There is a pub that sits near the bay, clinging on its wooden poles to the shifting sand below. It stands alone as a friendly safe-haven for the wary traveler. A warm atmosphere coats itself on the air inside, beckoning to those who need only a temporary resting place to sit and enjoy good spirits and good company.

Inside this pub, with its average working class patrons lives a local legend; a girl with spiky blue hair as deep as the sea and with eyes to match the night. She lives and breaths the atmosphere as if there were nothing more to life. She seemed to live vicariously through the laughter of her customers, each one smiling at her with glazed over eyes hoping she'd pay them a second glance. This beauteous woman stuck out like a soar thumb among the dirty commoners and alcoholic bums; and yet, she fit right in to the mix as if she owned the place.

Her life wasn't, however, as glamorous as she displayed it… She wished day after day that she could take off her façade, and remove the mask of happiness shielding her true feelings. This wasn't how she wanted to live; this wasn't up to par with her aspirations. It was a dirty job that required her to do what she hated most; entertain the paying customers. And yet, as long as she had a roof over her head and food in her belly, she counted herself lucky and smiled on…

"Hey, Anko-babe! Mind whipping me up another one of your special brews? The night is young sweetie! And your beer is makin' it younger, HA-HA!" Anko rolled her eyes at the man sitting lopsided in his wooden chair, grizzly hair over his face before plastering a cheery smile back on to hers.

"Of course, Horace! How can I deny a handsome face like yours?" She wanted to puke, that's how.

The drunken Horace laughed merrily and waved her off with a shaky hand, desperately trying to focus on the task at hand as the world spun beneath him.

"Nahhh, I'm just kidding, honey. I'm fuckin' broke anyway."

Anko continued to smile at the patron until he got up and slinked completely out of the door before she went back to her thoughts—her wondrous thoughts that took her away from this dump she called work. But even in her reveries she couldn't escape the noise and babbling of the pub around her as the dirty men talked of useless things and why life sucked. It was truly depressing to here to bigots' talk of life and work and women. Luckily it was late, so half the bastards were drunk off their chairs and didn't speak English anymore…

'Zenny, Anko, just remember you're being paid zenny for this crap.' With a sigh and another quick look around the place to check for empty glasses Anko made her way into the dusty back room to tell her employer she was going home.

Her boss was a fat-cheeked man of small stature and wide frame. He stood barely above Anko's chest even at his full height. But his size didn't fool anyone at all; he meant business. To him, the sheer love of money, or zenny as it was dubbed drove this once simple man into a time-obsessed weirdo who lost everything dear to him so he could live well off with his pub money. Anko didn't much care for the man, but kept that to herself as long as he used her talents to his satisfaction-and gave her a sustainable amount of money in return. Not to mention all the under-the-counter tips she received daily for her upbeat attitude and warm smile. He couldn't _not_ hire such a valuable waitress.

And there he was, as busy as he could be cooking and filling out food orders for the customers waiting to get full. He ran about the small, humid kitchen in a constant jog to find spices and ingredients to appease his dishes. In his mind-set he didn't even look up from his fevered chore to see Anko staring at him from the doorway until she got his attention with words.

"Hey Ali, I'm heading out, ok? It's been a long night and things are dying down out front." Ali stopped shaking out salt and looked up at her with his usual "It's already 3 in the morning!" stare.

"Fine, Anko. I'll wrap it up tonight , but you better stay tomorrow till close or I'll fire you faster than I can cook this omelet, d'you hear?" Anko knew it was a sad bluff but didn't try to fight it as she waved nonchalantly over her exiting shoulder.

'…Boy, what I wouldn't give to take a bottle of Vodka to that old bastard and put his lights out.'

Walking back to bar, she said her goodbyes to the customers who waved to her and quickly stepped out into the cool night air, escaping the heated musky building. As she felt the wind play with her hair as it danced about, Anko couldn't help but feel sadness wash over her and claim her good mood. Everything had stopped in her life after she decided to get a job. Her skin was slowly aging and there was nothing to do to turn back the clock. Even the sandy beach only gave her mild comfort as she idly walked by it in dawdling pursuit of her home a few miles ahead. Anko sighed heavily at the prospect of going home.

'I know already I won't be sleeping tonight... Hell, I knew that yesterday and the day before. I need to unwind…And I think I will do just that! ...Oh, Anko, you're too old to be spontaneous…You hag, you.'

Turning to the right, Anko walked gingerly onto the cool sand and took off her pesky work shoes. She walked thoughtfully towards the silvery Moon ahead, hoping to mirror its peaceful glow with her footsteps. Finally, Anko contented to sit down at the shoreline, letting the tiny waves lap at her feet gratefully.

"Oh gods, please take me now… I don't think I can take pouring one more shot of Whiskey for one of those bums."

Anko let out a deep breath; hoping the sea would drag out her limp form and take her to far away to lands that held something in store for her, something new or surprising to get her out of this rut. It wasn't until her sensitive ears picked up noises only twenty feet away that she moved up from her depressed reverie to see who or what had disturbed her rest.

Ahead of her, rocking in the shallows was a small fisher's boat containing two forms; both were very visible in the grayish light. The first, a beautiful teenage boy with dark hair, lay against the side of the craft clutching another boy in shaky arms, barely awake himself. The second boy looked less fortunate than the first… The bloody body was curled shivering to the first boy's chest, blonde locks of hair protruding from the top of his orange-red form. He didn't look conscious, and could be dead for all Anko knew. She sat back in momentary shock before coming to her senses.

'No…It can't be…It can't be him!'

Standing on her feet in a flash, Anko jumped into the freezing water, hoping with all hope that the blonde boy was alive. She waded out frantically nearing the waking craft.

The first boy warily looked up at her, unable to move from the fatigue of rowing for hours. Even in his altered state he managed a small triumphant smile at the blue-haired angel before closing his eyes once more to rest. Anko reached the boat in no time and flung herself aboard to save them.

"Wake up! Wake up! Who are you? Are you hurt? Speak to me!"

Sasuke re-opened his eyes slightly and looked at his savior questioningly with a frown. Realizing the situation, he moved to turn Naruto around shakily, showing her that the boy was wounded badly. He didn't have to wait long to get a reaction out of the young woman, as her eyes widened once more in blatant fear at seeing the unconscious boy.

Anko screamed inside of her head, not believing what lay in front of her eyes. The black-haired boy had turned his friend around with the last bit of his strength and revealed to her the most horrifying thing she could hope to see.

"Nar….NARUTO!"

Anko couldn't help but scream in shock at seeing her long gone Naruto, especially in such a state. Without any hesitation she took action to save her injured friend by collecting him in her arms and wading him back to be laid on the sand. She quickly repeated the same action for the other boy until they were both safely on land. Everything happened so quickly and Anko didn't give herself time to think about anything except rescuing the tattered teenagers. She swiftly used the strength not many knew she possessed to lift both boys onto her shoulders from their resting spot and ran home as fast as her aching muscles would let her, leaving no regard for the boat behind her…

-

Draconis stood at attention with his brother, Darco. Both men didn't dare move a muscle while under the inspection of their supreme general-their Sultan. They stood stark still in the hallway in front of the Sultan's quarters awaiting the quietly furious man to think, and then address them. They waited in uncomfortable silence as the man scrutinized their faces as if to catch in their eyes any sign of a lie in their story. He waited for a long moment, long enough to make the soldiers shiver slightly with high nerves at the situation. They knew their report wasn't a good one, they even expected the old man to yell at them to his heart's content…But he didn't. The silence spoke many more words to them than any lecture ever could-they were in it deep.

Finally, and with a cough to clear his throat, the Sultan Hokage spoke to his subordinates with a fire in his eyes as if to say "this better work".

"I understand the situation now, Draconis, and I deem it best to do something quite unorthodox. I've decided to let the boy go—for now. I want him to feel, see and smell true suffering until the bitter taste of adventure clears itself from his tongue. I want him to finally appreciate what he has…"

Turning around to face the window, Hokage continued as he gazed at the world outside his walls.

"Sasuke will never stay here and be satisfied with this life until he gets what he wants… Still, I can only imagine what will happen with that Naruto-peasant accompanying him."

Hokage turned around and look resolutely at his troops before speaking his final piece to the quiet captains.

"So, for now, we let him go. For some odd reason, and I can't explain it, I trust he'll be okay… Oh, and I want you to notify Mizukage immediately of his presence in Camnio. I am sure he is there."

Both soldiers nodded briskly, not wanting to add any more waves to the tense situation, and left.

Draconis, when finally out of earshot of his Sultan turned angrily to his brother.

"_You fucked this up, brother, _So _you _get the pleasure of notifying Camnio immediately." And with that, he walked off loudly to perform his usual duties.

Darco smiled to himself. He had his own idea of what he'd do…

-

Little bits of sunlight kissed the blank white sheets. The folds of clean pressed material mirrored the yellowish glow, bouncing into the small room a warm light to signal morning's arrival. Even Sasuke's fluttering eyes couldn't deny him wakefulness as he opened them gingerly, acclimating himself to his new surroundings…

New surroundings! _Last Night!_

Sasuke sat up from his bed in sudden horror and scanned the room for Naruto. He had to know where the boy was! Naruto was his only reason to be alive and if anything had happened to him he couldn't go on… The girl. Sasuke remembered the blue-haired angel who rescued them. He remembered being saved, and gathered into strong arms… He remembered her voice—her calling out his loves name…Naruto.

"Morning!"

Sasuke's head flipped around in fright, only to be met with a bright smile and a plate of food. The woman holding up the tray he recognized from the night before. And before he could get one word in she plopped the tray onto his frozen lap.

"Y'know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! If you don't eat it, you'll waste away faster than a sea-crab without a shell!" Sasuke wondered if this smiling creature was the same woman as from the night before.

Anko continued smiling as she waited patiently for the boy to find his voice. He looked down at the food, then back at her, then at the food again. Only one word escaped his mouth when he found his voice finally.

"Naruto…?"

Anko furrowed her brows, and then laughed merrily at his unbelieving face. This one would take some hard work to break in, she thought.

"Oh just eat your food; your friend Naruto is just fine in the other room." Anko proceeded to place her hands on her hips like a mother hen.

The raven-haired teenager on the bed nodded, placed the tray on him at his legs and removed himself from the warm covers. He threw a quick thank you over his shoulder as he made his way out the door to see his friend and make sure he was ok.

'Gosh, he seems really determined to see Naruto… I would be too, I guess.' Anko shrugged and stared out the window marveling at the sun just above the waters edge.

-

Sasuke walked right into the room next to him in search of his love, and immediately his breath was stolen away… Basking in the morning sunlight lay Naruto, so peaceful and quiet on the bed with white sheets strewn around him lazily. On his face played a happy expression that told only of good dreams and happy thoughts. And in that moment, Sasuke felt like he had met the boy for the first time.

All that had happened before; the castle, the get-away-the sexual contact… None of it mattered anymore. All he wanted to do was stare at Naruto forever and feel his love radiate onto him. He was perfect; unflawed, like the blue sapphire gem hugging itself to his heart. Sasuke knew it-he loved Uzumaki Naruto and would do anything in his power to protect him and help him live the wonderful life he deserved…All of this realized-at one glance.

Sasuke didn't dare move to wake the sleeping boy when he knew he needed the rest so much. He also noticed with a sad face the patch of bandages wrapped around his shoulder to heal the arrow wound. Looking at the small pool of blood leaking to the outside of the bandages, Sasuke's good mood vanished. Fear struck in his eyes and he immediately felt all the guilt and pain of causing the injury and all the trouble from the last two days. Sasuke knew that it was his own selfish needs that brought them to where they were and he couldn't help but feel a need to make amends.

'Naruto… I can't even believe you are lying there right now. We hardly know each other and yet you trust me… Trusted me. I wouldn't be surprised if you never wanted anything to do with such an asshole prince like me after last night… Damnit, this is _not _how I wanted our adventure to be and I get it now… This isn't some fucking fairytale, and I'm not immune anymore to death or pain. I can't treat this like a vacation anymore; for your sake and mine.'

Sasuke looked longingly once more at Naruto as he lay resting before going back to his room to properly thank the strange girl who saved them both. The answers to their problems would come later, he thought…

Anko still stood in the guest room, lost in space when she heard the rustle of someone behind her. The teen boy who had left the room now stood before her once more, bowing in thanks. Rare words escaped Sasuke's lips as his eyes watered in sadness and in gratitude.

"Thank you so much for rescuing my companion and I. My name is—err— my name is unimportant…But thank you. We are alive because of your efforts." Sasuke rose.

Smiling briefly, Sasuke returned to his bed and began greedily eating the food set out for him. Anko frowned good-naturedly at her guest and chuckled.

"Oh, so you are too good to name names, huh? Well, oh prince of names, MY name is Anko and you are in my house now. I did indeed find you two poor boys half dead last night. And you both are lucky it was me who found you and not some of the other scum who live in these parts; you'd be dead if it was anyone else. I appreciate your thanks, and you are very welcome. But there are a few other reasons why I helped you that will be explained soon."

Sasuke cringed at the word "prince", but regained his composure quickly and thought of a fake name for himself to reply to the question. He wiped his eyes and spoke once more.

"Err, my name is Kino. Akinara Kino." Anko smiled again.

"See? That wasn't so hard! It's nice to meet you Kino… Now, you finish your plate! And I'll go tend to Naruto." Sasuke's eyes widened when he heard her speak his companion's name.

"Wait…How do you know his name? I haven't told it to you yet…" Anko smirked at the question before answering.

"Trust me kid, I have known that boy since before you were born…"

-

I love cliffhangers… They make me want to read more! . Please review… I'm actually going to start doing the stupid "five reviews and then I'll post" thing… I know, it's really stupid, but I want to hear your comments—they truly help make this story better!

Thank you for reading and sticking with me, I promise I'll post faster.

Love

CA


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I'm back again with another chapter (and I updated uber fast this time)! I want to give a big thanks to all my reviewers, especially Hogo-chan who took the time to write her/his opinions, praises _and _concerns. I'll stop being a pussy (:looks down at penis, wow, that wasn't valid at all - CA male) and just write 'em from now on. I also won't hold you folks to the 5 reviews per chapter thing. If I was reading and the author said something that self-absorbed, I'd stop and find another fic, haha.

Important: I am going to California this Saturday, the 5th of February and will be gone until the following Friday, the 11th. I might be able to work on this story, but I doubt it. So this will probably be the last chapter for a week until I get back. Enjoy!

**Cerulean Change Chapter 8**

Sasuke's face looked as if he were trying to mix in many emotions all at once. He wasn't exactly shocked that this woman knew Naruto. But he could not make up a single scenario in his mind where they could be acquainted like she claimed they were. Deciding to let Anko take her time with the subject, he sufficed a small "hn" before shutting up and continuing his meal.

Anko didn't continue the subject, but rather changed it to something totally different to answer some of her more pressing questions. Plopping herself down on the bed next to the boy she looked at him in a certain way so she could analyze his reaction at her next question.

"Please tell me. Why are you here; why were you half alive in a boat just to come to Camnio? Did you escape someone, or did that wound appear on Naruto's shoulder out of thin air?"

Anko had good reason to measure the reaction of the self-conscious teen because as soon as she said the word "escape" Sasuke's facial muscles fell in shame. He knew what they had done and felt horrible about the outcome. He regained his composure as quickly as he could, but it was too late; she already knew.

"Alright then, I won't ask you anymore questions until Naruto wakes up and I can properly interrogated you two heathens." Anko smirked good-naturedly, stood and exited the room to tend to her other guest's wound.

When she reached the bed that held her friend, Anko couldn't help but feel the deepest sadness and joy at seeing his cat-like face once more. It was as if a ghost was looming in her bed instead of this grown boy she once knew only as a child.

'It has been so long, my little Naruto… looking at you now, I can still remember your face when I held you in my arms. You were so innocence and untroubled back then. And now look at you, growing perfectly into a beautiful young man… I don't know why you're here right now, but since you are, I think it's time to tell you the truth…'

Anko gingerly grazed the back of her hand along his soft cheek to wake him from his sleep. As much as he needed to rest, she didn't know what else to do in case the boys were in immediate danger. She had to ask him what to do.

-

A distance blue light flashed rhythmically in cold rotation, hitting a boy's face as it circled back around endlessly. Its piercing glow faded in and out in the dulling grayish fog that loomed all around the him as he stood in nothingness. He couldn't feel, touch, taste or smell… There was only filtered light, in steady motion as it played upon his features as if to mock him. He couldn't even move—He realized he didn't want to. For fear held him tightly with an icy grip and yet he could not shiver; he could not budge. His memory only held images of the dull blue light as he stood in limbo while his goals faded before him as if they had never been established… He was alone. And the only thing telling him otherwise was the brief moment every few seconds when the blue light passed over his glazing, wet eyes. And yet, there seemed to be a tiny ting of hope lingering in this dastardly place. The boy saw ahead of him a speck in the middle of the beam of light; a tiny reminder that life was still necessary; that he did have a choice.

It was too far in front of him to see, but the white blotch on an otherwise empty canvas filled the boy's brain with nothing but hope. He had a goal; he must reach that opening… Willing himself to calm down and relax, the boy ceased restraining his frozen bonds and let himself be still. As soon as he accepted his goal—his truth, the weight was lifted off of his shoulders, and the icy chill of fear was obviated by the comfort of the speck of light.

He knew it was time to move-so he ran; pushing off whatever held him upright, and using whatever he could find within to fuel the energy, the passion burning inside of him to reach his goal. And slowly the speck grew as it passed by. It grew by only centimeters at first… And then after awhile the centimeters enlarged to feet, and the feet enlarged to yards, and the yards enlarged to miles… And finally, with all the burning will still left in him, the boy reached a state of white. A cylinder inside or outside of himself, he couldn't tell, that engulfed his being and fueled the fire into a wave of flames that crashed in and out of him like juts of intensity spreading throughout his soul. The waves crashed together in and out, gaining speed until they circled around each other, faster and faster… The boy could only close his eyes as he felt the sheer velocity of the circular flames wrap around him and empower him to every end at every crevice and curve of his naked body. The flames danced around and through every inch of him as if they were creating a new skin; a new purpose.

And then it stopped.

With a sudden kick off, all the flames shot out in separate directions, creating a circular disk of orange-red light to fill the world around with its light… And then it was black.

The boy felt the immense power leave him, but he didn't feel empty… The void and darkness that once consumed his being had been filled in by an intangible source of light… Blue light. That familiar blue wasn't dull anymore though, as it filled every corner with sharp shades and tones. It didn't hit the boy straight on, but rather filled him up from within.

The boy opened his eyes as if to question his new sense of wholeness; but as soon as he did, the blue light blinded him into shutting his eyes again. He felt confused by the lack of vision outside of himself. The light was so intense out there, as if to make concrete that the change was _within_ him as well as outside of himself... It was as if there was no outside to speak of, and that his unconscious and conscious were connected; the same…

The boy understood this new feeling of belonging, and understood that he didn't need to open his eyes to see what he had become. For all it took was one glance inward and the boy saw the magical light living in its simplest most pristine form… The sapphire crystal…

-

"Wake up, little one, wake up."

Naruto's eyelids flutter naturally as he raised his gaze to the world outside his dreams. However, this world proved to be even more confusing to him than his dreams could ever be. Sitting at his side was the one person he never expected to see.

Naruto's cerulean orbs grew ten times their normal size as the boy rubbed them to make sure he was actually awake and not still sleeping. Thinking of nothing better to do to test his theory, he pinched himself—welcomed by the sharp pain in his arm telling him that he was, in fact, awake.

Anko chuckled at the drowsy boy's antics before reassuring him.

"Not who you expected, huh?" Naruto couldn't have said it better himself.

"A…Anko! What are you doing here! Wait, what am _I _doing here—wherever here is? Where am I? Where's Sasuke? God, I can't believe it's you!" Anko smiled broadly. Yes, this was the same motor-mouth she remembered from long ago.

"Don't worry yourself, Naruto! Gosh, you'll have a heart attack if you ask any more questions. This is my home now, little one… And your friend is in the other room." Anko thought for a moment about Naruto's sentence. "Wait a sec! He said his name was Kino! What's goin' on here!"

Now it was Naruto's turn to laugh… These last few days had been the most random he had ever remembered experiencing. There was so much to chew on and digest, and he simply didn't have time to lwt it all settle.

"Oops. Err—yeah, we gotta talk." Anko frowned.

"I'll say we do... Come on, if you can walk, let's go to my living room and have a "conversation"." Naruto warily looked at his shoulder for the first time before nodding.

Inside the living room sat Sasuke, patiently waiting for Naruto and Anko to join him. When Naruto saw his love sitting there he let out a huge inward sigh. At least they were alive and safe... He rushed over to the other unsuspecting boy and locked him up in a bear hug that nearly knocked the wind out of them both. Sasuke smirked at the boy holding him, breathing in the familiar wonderful scent. He hugged back until he heard Naruto wince in pain. The wound on his shoulder was obviously still tender. Looking up at the boy straddling his lap, Sasuke's concerned frown at hurting his love melted into a small blush as he felt the heat of their bodies meld together passionately. He wanted so badly to kiss the blonde beauty on top of him, but worried about the other person in the room and how it would look. So he sufficed to push Naruto off and next to him on the couch, leaving the other boy slightly dejected.

"Alright you two horn-dogs, tell me what's up…"

Both teenagers finally recognized with their eyes the presence of Anko in the room and blushed a deep crimson. Naruto looked at Sasuke as if to say "it's ok, we can tell her everything." Sasuke nodded and let Naruto begin the long tale without any further ado. Anko sat quietly with her head propped on her elbow so she could listen more intently to the boys' tale.

Naruto told her everything, starting of course with when he ran into Darco in Samnoria. He spoke in detail about all the events leading up to and about their escape, including how he felt about everything that had happened. And he told of the arrow wound that narrowly missed his vital organs… Many of the views and emotions Naruto expressed were new to Sasuke, so he also listened intently, putting in his two cents when needed.

Finally, Naruto told her what he knew Sasuke wouldn't.

"I guess this whole thing was a complete disaster, except for one thing… It has all been worth it! Not many people get the chance to show their prince what life is really like… And beyond that, I love him." Sasuke blushed at the comment.

He had stayed quiet most of the conversation, not knowing how Anko would react to knowing he was the prince of Samnoria. However, she stayed quiet and unjudgemental throughout the whole explanation, and it seemed that Naruto trusted her whole-heartedly … So he would too.

Finally, Naruto stopped, and the silence that followed was anything but awkward. It felt good to Naruto to get all of it out of his system and to see the events unfold once more in his mind. Anko seemed to share his sentiments as her face only held a warm glow.

"So then. Lemme paraphrase. You guys met by luck and escaped Samnoria barely; you're in love, and you don't know what the hell to do next as long as you don't go home or get caught?" Both boys nodded. "Ok then… I'll have to process all that a little more, but I think I owe you both an explanation since you were nice enough to tell me your story..."

Anko took in a deep breath and began.

"First off, I found you two in the shallows for a stupid reason… I work at a local pub and when I got off work in my usual late night depression I decided randomly to go to the beach. It was a huge and lucky fluke that we found each other, but maybe not considering what you just said... I took you back here to keep you alive Naruto, and to give you a place to rest Sasuke—and by the way, don't lie to me ever again. I can let this one go because you didn't know whether you could trust me with your true identity or not, and that was smart. But it doesn't pay to lie to me, trust me." Sasuke nodded. "Ok. And now I need to explain something to both of you about how I know Naruto… There is a very good reason why I know him attached to a very poor reason why I haven't seen him in years. You see-"

Anko's train of thought was interrupted mid-sentence by a sharp knock at the door. Rolling her eyes, Anko excused herself to get it, with the intention of killing whoever it was who disturbed the deep conversation she was having.

When she opened the door she was met with the grinning face of her friend as he stood languorously in the mid-morning light. He noticed her intense expression and his smile quickly faded into a quizzical stare.

"Hey. Why are you looking at me like that, Anko? You knew I was coming over today to hang out, don't even deny it!" Anko's serious expression faded and she smiled at her friend.

"Hey, Iruka… Yeah, I forgot about that. And—err, I have some guests over right now, that's the reason why I forgot actually. Mind if I just stop by later today, maybe before work?" Iruka looked take-aback.

"You have… Guests? I'll do you a favor and I'm not going to even ask... And yes, you can come over anytime tonight." Anko waved him off.

"Oh shut up. They're old friends, and we were _trying _to catch up when a certain someone _interrupted_…" Iruka laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"So I'll see you tonight, Anko?"

"Yep. See you then."

Iruka turned around and retreated casually from her home. While he left she couldn't help but look at his ass as he walked away. Hey, she wasn't getting any younger… And she'd have to remind herself to kill those two boys for ruining her date. That would come later.

Making her way stealthily back into the house, she peeked around the corner of the living room to see what her "guests" were up to. And just as she suspected, they took advantage of the time alone to ravage each other's mouths, frantically kissing and touching whatever body part they cold find. Anko chuckled to herself.

'That is so cute! I guess I can forgive the little bastards… I'll just wait until later to give them a boring history lesson. When the mood is right and when both their brains have a chance to relax I'll get into it again…

Luckily for Sasuke, it isn't illegal to marry a prince…'

-

Gotta love cliffies! … This is your second treat for waiting so long, and plus the whole Claifornia trip delaying my typing and blah blah blah. I hope you like where the story is going and are interested enough to not fall asleep, lol . I have it all worked out:snicker: the plot bunnies from hell cannot invade me when I have THIS:holds up story outline: … Take _that_ writers block! _hisa_! … ahem, please review and all that… I'm getting addicted to checking my email because of your lovely reviews! Fuel my addiction!

More to come soon

Love

CA


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry about the (extremely) late update people. I got grounded from my computer for a month after my parents found some… Questionable material on it . So yes, here I am again and here is the next chapter for you. I also wanted to make this one better for you since you've had to wait—I hope it meets the bar . Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Warnings:** Ugh… I am slightly mad that I've mad this SasuNaru so fluffy. But I guess the AU makes amends for that and you guys seem to like it. So yeah, maybe some fluffiness, maybe Sasuke will get back into character (j/k). As always the chance for citrus, lime and lemon parts remains. So keep your eyes peeled in case you don't want to read that stuff.

**Cerulean Change: Chapter 9**

Two forms sat mere inches from each other on a black soft couch. They knew they had time to be alone and both teenagers took advantage of the moments where Anko was absent to act out how they felt after the events from the day before. All the stresses that now weighed on them heavily made the need for sexual escape escalate and consume both prince and peasant. To either one of them the other had no better social status, they felt no higher or lower influence when they were this closeas everything became one. They were on the same level both physically and mental—that is when Naruto stops being loud and obnoxious. And in light of this connection they did just that; connect.

Sasuke leaned in abruptly after seeing Anko exit and captured the blonde's soft lips in his own, starting slow and simple and then eventually pushing in for a more needy touch and caress. Naruto's body couldn't help but immediately react to the warm lips that incased him and automatically his hands grasped his koi's body wherever he could; only wanting to get closer to the burning heat that lived inside the icy cold exterior Sasuke only dropped for him. And for those moments in between, when black pools met cerulean, every little thing didn't matter anymore. Only the heat and electricity between the two unfulfilled souls sufficed to fill in the gaps and complete the molded shape.

And what a shape it was. The rough tan skin and blonde locks mixed as opposite to the creamy pale toned skin and black locks; it created a ying-yang that span around with every second as the polar opposites pulled together in an unbreakable, intangible bond.

Naruto felt so high and out of mind in Sasuke's warmth that he didn't even notice the sarcastic noise and clearing throat from across the room until Sasuke pulled away reluctantly all too soon. Both boys' faces registered what they were doing and who saw it and immediately tinged a slight pink when they turned to meet the gaze of Anko. Without a word they parted embrace and sat on opposite ends of the couch in guilt awaiting her words.

Anko could only smile and laugh at the sight before her. Here were two obviously in love teenage boys (only proving Naruto's story more), one of which she knew very personally and all they could think about was how much she would disapprove of there kissing. Anko placed a genuine smile on her face and walked over to the couch, putting her elbows on the back of it and cupping her chin with her awaiting hands. She tried to make eye contact with Sasuke to let him know with her eyes that she wasn't angry; but he diverted his own and stared instead at the ever-interesting wall. Anko lifted up and put her hands on her hips like a pseudo-mother hen and curled her eyebrows in a fake frown.

"What is your deal? Really, do you think I'm going yell at you runts for a little mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?" Both boys' blush increased after that. "Oh give me a break. It's not like I'm one to judge love or anything of that sort. Don't feel embarrassed about something as simple as kissing, geez."

Naruto cocked his eyebrow at his old friend.

"You...You don't disapprove of—that?" Anko shook her head with a giggle.

"I think it's rather cute actually." And with that, she proceeded to tackle the poor teenager into a headlock and bang him on the head a few times lovingly to further his embarrassment.

...

Nighttime phased the dark streets of Camnio into purplish black, with the stars as a canopy to make up for the absent moon. The vagrant wind blew cool gusts into every crevice and stone piece in town to soothe the aches and pains of a hard day in the sun.

Flickering yellowish lights dotted the dirt roadway as families ate peacefully in their homes and wanderers meandered lazily upon the sidewalks of the living city. As a nighttime constant, shops and restaurants stood ready and open even in the waning hours for patrons who had money to spare to feel welcome in presence of extraverts like themselves. All across the business-lined streets you could see men and women laughing and talking; some drunk and wobbling around as lackluster as ever; others high on whatever substance they could find in order to forget their troubles and get lost in the spirits of fun and pleasure.

And yet even with the lively folk, who so accented the dreary cold night as stars on a page of black, you could find shapes and figures of mass looming in the dark corners and alleyways of the town; holding themselves from light as spectators and doing so for a purpose—To be left alone. To consume nothing and be nothing as the shadows they would cast in light.

There was one such figure crouching silently in the shadows of a run-down home, with cloak drawn tightly against its form to darken its presence and forebode any passing fancy to look away in trepidation. Those cold green eyes cut through the heavy air and pierced so easily at the perspicuous scene it set its gaze upon. The countenance of this tall, unwavering form gave away the fact that no matter what it was it was looking for, this one was sure to get it.

'My life and I are about as interesting as dirt… No wonder no one gives me so much as a second look…'

Iruka lay strewn across his couch with his hands in a dramatic pose over his forehead. His legs dangled in slow circles over the edge of the armrest as he mused to himself in his dark front room... How was he going to get the elusive Anko to fall for him?... He simply could _not _understand how one woman could be so hard to get. That fact, of course, also played her strengths and made him go for her that much stronger. But still. He had been trying for ages (A/N: straight man ages translate to weeks and months ) to get under her skin and she had only recently begun to remember his name and give him the time of day. And even that had taken some feat of persistence.

It had been a game of sarcasm and double entendre sentences since they first met only one short month ago. He sat down after a day's honest work in a barstool, waiting for the usual bar ditz to come and take his order like he expected from every other pub in town. And as the story almost blatantly leads on, he didn't exactly get some ditz to wait on him, but none other than Anko herself. Iruka had seen her before somewhere and recognized her name from conversations of drunken losers chuckling at the thought of a "sweet young thing" doing such dirty work.

Regardless of what others said, as soon as he laid his eyes on her he fell instantly in love. It was, for Iruka in particular, a very rare type of feeling because he was _never_ one for simple romanticism and never thought he would have that childish of a thing happen to him… But damn if he didn't light up inside when she smiled at him. And so, ever since then Iruka made it a point to get her attention one way or another. Finally—and he chuckled to himself when he remembered this—he got Anko to agree to hang out with him by using her own words against her. He tripped her in her own sentence and knew that she couldn't say no. It also seemed apparent to him that she wasn't going to say no anyway. She looked genuinely interested in Iruka and he wasn't going to damper one of his last romantic chances by his own self doubt.

So here he was, trying to place in his mind a correct way to go about getting her without scaring/alienating her by coming on strongly; or not doing anything at all and letting the opportunity fall through his hands. It was a difficult situation to make good decisions with, so Iruka decided that he'd let whatever happen, happen.

…And what about her "company" as she so conspicuously put it. She didn't have another man in her life did she? That would completely shoot his plan to hell if she did. He didn't know her well but it didn't look like she was a family type.

'Oh well… It'd be even better for me if it was just some relative—maybe a nephew or cousin? Definitely not an aunt. Dear god, never an aunt. Or an Uncle… Judging by Anko I wouldn't want to have an uncle of hers breathing down my neck and ruining'

Iruka's lazy musings were put on temporary hold by the knocking coming from his front door. The reveries would have to wait as he rolled his tired eyes and struggled to his tired feet with a grunt…It had been a long day.

Iruka stalked over to the entrance to his humble abode that stood only ten feet away and fumbled with the doorknob to get it open in the darkness of his home. Finally he managed to twist the right piece of metal regardless of whom it was standing at the other side and opened the front door.

Upon seeing the bright smile of the subject of his musings gleam in the dim light of the street Iruka stood up straight to attention and brushed off the imaginary dust from his shirt.

"H-hey Anko! What brings you to this horrible place?" Anko chuckled and shook her head slightly before indulging her friend's idiotic sentence.

"You told me to come and visit you later, remember stupid? And I just so happened to be showing my small friends here the ropes… I thought you'd like to tag along and help, soldier boy." Iruka blush at the sarcastic mention of his job before clearing his throat and noticed for the first time the two boys standing behind his prize. He smiled and nodded at them and they nodded back politely.

"Ok then… Lemme go get ready real quick. I'll be out in a second." Anko nodded and lead the boys to the curb to wait which took longer than usual because of Naruto's injury/complaints.

Sasuke didn't exactly adore the idea at first of meeting new people in Camnio. He thought it was best to keep as low of a profile as possible. But when you stay with a woman like Anko, it is always in ones best interest to agree with her… so he did. She also reminded him of Naruto in so many ways. They both were random and loud and full of over-confidence and not to mention huge egos. He didn't even know her well yet but it seemed that the more time he spent with her, the more she reminded him of Naruto. She was a good thing to have around in general, but two Naruto's spelled out more headaches for him. Sasuke mused to himself more as they sat.

'Damnit… Why didn't I fall for a nice quiet guy like me? Who wouldn't kill my eardrums with every sentence and one who could maybe sit _still _and stop talking every once in awhile… Oh well, it'll make for great sex later I suppose. GAH, what am I thinking! That boy is doing some strange things to me.'

Before leaving Anko's house that evening, Sasuke remembered his predicament and wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be spotted or recognized by commoners. It wasn't as if the people of Camnio were oblivious to Samnorian royalty and surely he'd be noticed if he walked outside wearing nothing but normal clothes.

"Miss Anko, I insist that we do something precautionary before leaving for town. I'm really not comfortable going out in public totally bare and exposed." Anko cheered up at the polite mention of her name and stroked her imaginary chin for a moment or two before replying with a smile on her face.

"Yeah you're probably right, _your highness_. And I've got just the thing to help that." Sasuke liked this girl. She wasn't affected by his position at all.

Anko briefly scurried out of the parlor Sasuke was standing in to fish around in her laundry room before returning moments later with something in hand. It was a black cloak type thing that she unfolded and slipped over the prince's head all in one split second. The cloak turned out to be more of a sweater, one that covered like a shirt and had a hood to cover his famous hair and face. It was a normal looking perfect piece of clothing that wouldn't draw attention to him and would still keep his identity safe.

"Does it fit? Good. I'm going to go help Naruto get ready. You should probably be his crutch for the walk since you're more his size." Sasuke agreed readily as she turned to see that the injured blonde had everything ready for the walk.

Sasuke hid it well, but he was actually very excited to see the town for what it was, free from royal blinds and shelters. He wanted to experience the real life as it was lived by all his subjects—including Naruto. And to think, all it took was a little initiative and a great friend and here he was…Free. To Sasuke, everything was going perfectly and nothing could happen to ruin his experience.

It had taken some time to help Naruto out of the house to go to Iruka's because both Anko _and _Sasuke ended up help the wriggling boy get re-bandaged with clean strips before they left. And even with the new bandages in place it would be a slow process helping him move and walk with all the complaining and yelling he was doing… Sasuke shook his head at the loud-mouth next to him as he stuck his finger in his ear to quell the beating eardrum once more. He then acted as a brace for the blonde boy who finally realized that he'd get to be close to his prince for the walk. The blonde shut up his anger act and placed his arms tentatively around Sasuke and leaned heavily into him, just enough to brush his hips to the other's suggestively.

"SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY!"

The man's booming voiced echoed unmistakably loud across the walls of the marble throne room. Few of the guards and soldiers ever stayed in the stark, vast room longer than needed—and this one knew he wanted to leave even more than when he entered to do his master's bidding.

"You are just some _worthless_ maggot and you dare to speak to me in a condescending tone?" The soldier in question stood shakily before the throne of the blue robed Sultan without so much as a flea's breath of air to speak with. He knew he had crossed a line with his suggestion and was now spending what he thought to be the last moments of his life trying to take it back.

"N-no sir. What I meant wasn't t-that…" The Sultan Mizukage's electric glare intensified to point where his eyes squinted in hatred.

"Please, _oh great clairvoyant one_ tell me what ELSE you could have meant by that shit spewing out from your wretched tongue! Please, do explain you're reasoning, I for one would like to know your _very important_ opinion." The soldier felt waves of fear wash over him with every sarcastic remark his master added to the sentence. And with the last bit of his will he attempted to reconcile his words.

"I-I simply meant to say that this is an extremely good t-time to go—forth and take what you rightfully deserve… Please brother, understand that I don't want it for my own. I just want to see you flourish in what was supposed to be yours in the first place. I—I'll shut up." The soldier back down from the throne and pitifully bowed to the ground in submission.

"You always were the weak, pitiful one Sancho. You make me sick to share the same blood in my veins as you do—you don't deserve the honor of this family's name. But regardless of your weakness and lack of respect in giving _your _opinion when I have not asked for it—you do have a point.

Guards, leave us at once and close the chamber door." The stoic statues with spears in their hands peeled themselves from the walls and retreated out the door in an orderly fashion, closing it gently in the process.

Sancho lifted his head slightly in apprehension, resembling a beaten dog ready for another hit. It was never good for him to be in a room alone with his older sibling. More often than not their little 'talks' and 'military intelligence meetings' involved nothing military-related at all. The scars across his body and spirit proved this point even more.

"Brother…P-pleaseplease don't touch me this time. Please, I have an idea that you'd lov" Mizukage kicked him swiftly in the jaw sending him sprawling in the air on his back with a small gash forming on his chin.

"Spare me your insolence boy; I already have a plan… Would you like to hear it?" Sancho knew the question was rhetorical but in light of his sad situation he nodded his head ruefully at the question.

Mizukage smirked at his weak younger brother. The bundle of frightened meat lying before him would never be royal material. All he deserved for his idiocy was a nameless place as a soldier, nothing more. And with this superior thought in mind, the Sultan kneeled to the floor on one knee and crawled on top of the shivering soldier. He placed his mouth and hot breath directly upon Sancho's ear and leaned his larger body against the others before breathing in a low voice:

"I'm going to kill them all…"

I thought you people deserved some sort of cliffhanger . Since when do I _not _end a chapter with a cliffie? Pfft… Anywho. Please review and gimme some love so I can continue this story. I hope I haven't lost my audience in my absence and if you still are checking for updates (which I really appreciate) then let me know that you care.

Love

CA


	10. Chapter 10

**Important A/N: **I made a mistake in the last chapter. I meant to type in Kazekage in the ending scene but for some reason typed Mizukage. From now on, he is Kazekage. Sorry about the confusion.

**Regular A/N: **Sorry about the long delay folks. I am currently working on two other stories, one of which I just posted that you should go read (wow, talk about pathetic marketing ). Once school gets out (around a month or less) I will have waaaay more time to dedicate to writing and I will be posting very often. But for now, enjoy!

**Review Replies (I really don't have time to reply to all the ones I've received so far, even though I appreciate all my reviews equally. These replies are for whoever reviewed last chapter only. Gomen nasai):**

**Shizuka Ketsurui: **Yeah, being grounded does blow … I'm so sorry about my late updatingness, I really am becoming all that I hate in an author. Thank you for the review and I hope you like this chapter!

**Tyranimo: **haha… I won't bore you with the details of a side character like Sancho. I think I was in a hentai mood when I wrote that section -;;;. Enjoy!

**Rachel Dracon: **Thank you for the wonderful review. I don't know why people like that scene so much . Enjoy!

**Tamara2187: **Amen to that. Enjoy!

**Silent Laugh: **Laconic reviews are good too. You asked for more, I give you more. Enjoy!

**Hogo-chan: **Hey babe! Thank you _so much _for the long and hilarious review! I feel bad that I've been neglecting this fic and when school gets out I'll finish it, no worries. Hope you like the chapter!

**Whiterose03: **SasuNaru fluff is nice from time to time . Hope you like the chapter!

**WeirdoBagel: **I love your screen name by the way, lol. Thank you so much for the constructive review (along with a little craziness at the end -). I Hope you like this chapter!

Phew… those take awhile . On to the fic!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto…

**Warnings: **Not a lot really...

**Cerulean Change: Chapter 10**

The streets of Camnio were lined with the usual vagabonds and low-end workers and families eager for social refuge; but something was different about the streets this night. There was one figure walking calmly among the crowds who didn't belong; a prince inside a cloak.

It was apparent all the way down to the woodwork that Camnio had seen better days. All the buildings seemed as faded and used as the people who inhabited them; the whole city full of people seemed to be living a life that was not their own for those few short hours a day where they could forget their poverty or penury or low state of mind and simply be grateful for life.

It amazed the high prince Sasuke to no end to walk around and see that his subjects weren't really living the happy existence he once envisioned them to. It shocked him that everyone, including Naruto had nothing in the ways of food or simple human necessities—things he had long taken for granted. He couldn't bare it, looking at men passing him by with their skin stuck to their shivering torsos with no meat to keep them healthy and no water to give color back to their faces… But they were happy somehow; they were rich without money and he could see it in their eyes. Sasuke just could not understand why! Why why why were these sickly looking folk smiling, laughing and playing when they obviously had no energy to spare, no security to fall back on. It puzzled Sasuke until he frowned in frustration and leaned over to ask Naruto the potentially embarrassing question.

"Hey, Naruto… Why are these people happy?" Naruto looked at him as if he was asking him the answer to 2+2.

"Because they are alive, Sasuke…" To that he became quiet and observant once more. When he was Sultan, things would be different—his people would live and flourish instead of wither away in poverty. He also realized how lucky Anko was to be on the higher end of this despicable ladder… And he thought _she _was poor!

Anko continued to direct them through the massive crowds of people in obvious search of a certain place to take them. Both boys saw her lean in to tell Iruka something, to which he nodded in agreement, but they still didn't get an answer as to where they were headed. The only information Anko would yield was "You'll see." And that didn't suffice to quell the excitement building up in both eager boys.

Almost as soon as Anko told them to be patient she stopped abruptly and turned into one of the shops forcing Naruto to stop blabbing on about how she should tell him. All three of the boys followed her inside what looked like an old antique shop. The small square room was cluttered with random furniture and goods piled up for sale at cheap prices. The whole shop smelled of wet mold and dust and gave Sasuke an almost instant headache just being in there. Naruto wasn't fazed by things like this, having grown up in a poor area where all kinds of smells pervaded in and around. It was funny to him to see the expression on his friend's face at the smell of mold. Sasuke was so untouched; so green… And Naruto planned to change all that very soon and "acclimate" Sasuke to a wholler, more experienced life. But first, they had to find freedom and stop moving a thousands miles an hour before he hoped to accomplish any of that.

Anko walked casually up to the desk and rang the small golden bell placed by the register. Almost immediately a small old man entered and greeted her from the back room.

"Well hello there, Anko. It looks like you've brought some friends with you today?" Anko smiled warmly at him.

"Hello yourself, Ojisan. We need some equipment." Ojisan chuckled lightly his best customer's straight-forwardness.

"I see you're not one for introductions." Naruto piped in.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And this is Sasuke and Iruka!" The old man chuckled once more before continuing.

"It's nice to meet you. I believe I already know Iruka, but no matter. Follow me into the back, please."

Ojisan lead the way into his equally as musty back room followed closely by Anko and the other three confused tag-a-longs. Neither of them knew what Anko meant by equipment, but it became very apparent as soon as they entered the room.

Nothing of the word 'equipment' could quite cover what it was that they saw when they entered the back room. It was like a completely different shop once they crossed the threshold into the new, much smaller room. Instead of antique chairs there were weapons of every type one could think of, ranging from small needles and Shurikens, to large broad swords. Also, there was a whole section dedicated to substances (possibly poisonous) and explosives. The jump from humble dinettes to weapons warehouse was shocking for both Naruto and Sasuke, having never seen most of the weaponry before.

Because of the rareness of the items, it also became painfully obvious that many of them were illegal and that anyone entering the room should keep their mouth shut. Anko, on the other hand, seemed right at home as she brushed past the many things on display in search of the perfect item. She stopped at the smaller weaponry area and smirked.

"Ojisan, I'm going to need another three orders of Shuriken and some more of that special powder." Ojisan smiled and went to a corner to fish out some papers. Anko turned to her counter-parts, two of which were dumbfounded.

"Don't worry Naruto, Sasuke. These are just some items a girl needs on the side to protect herself." Both boys nodded incredulously. Iruka just stood there, half amused and half… ashamed? All of the sudden he looked like he didn't want to be there and Sasuke caught that vibe immediately.

"Miss Anko, can we leave? I don't feel---comfortable here." Anko nodded, regretting letting them tag along on her errands.

"Here, take some money and go buy yourselves some food or whatever… Think of it as a date." With that, she winked and turned back to her scanning, ignoring the beat-red blushes on the pairs' faces. Iruka told them were they all were going to meet and when, and then they left, Naruto waving enthusiactically.

As soon as they were out of the door, the feeling of freedom returned to their young minds; and so did the sex drive. Sasuke grabbed Naruto harshly and ran into a nearby alleyway. He slammed the blonde against the wall and began ravaging his mouth with no warning. Naruto eagerly replied and opened up for Sasuke's waiting tongue to explore and mark. Their kiss wasn't gentle—it never was. When they broke away for the seconds they needed to regain breath there were bruises and cuts on their lips from where they had been biting and sucking. Sasuke immediately took to the side of his love's neck, sucking and biting harshly down to the sensitive crook which elicited repeated moans of pleasure from Naruto. They were in dreamland… an amazing place where no one can find you and all that exists are waves of pleasure rushing around your body. Naruto was so caught in the moment with his love's talented mouth on his neck that he didn't even realize when the warmth was ripped way from him. Seconds later, and before he could regain composure, a cold hand was upon his mouth, stifling his scream. Out of nowhere, his freedom was stolen. The first thought that came to his frantic mind was not a pleasant one…

He was being kidnapped.

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I never stop a chapter unless there is some sort of cliffhanger, hehe. Anywho, thanks again for being patient with my laziness, I hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think and I will continue to do review replies.

Oh, before I forget. I'm leavin' for a week on vacation, so I won't be updating anything until I get back sob… I will miss you internet connection!

Love

CA


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I can't believe I almost have 100 reviews! Thank you everyone for your continuing support of this fic! Also, I'd really appreciate it if you checked out my other stories... They may not be Naruto, but since i write AU you don't have to know anything about the series to read and enjoy them .

**Recommendations: **If you like really long excellent SasuNaru fics, check out

**Queen Angelblood**, shes an excellent writer. Also, please take the time to read anything from **Hannio** or **Neo-chan**. They also write Digimon fics, but like I said, you don't have to be familiar with the series to love their fics!

**Review Replies (everyone who reviewed is guaranteed a reply. Scroll down and find your S/N):**

**Shizuka Ketsurui: **Oh yes they can! It makes it a lot more suspenseful that way, hehe. Plus, this needed something unexpected after those last two dull chapters. Hope you like this one!

**Blackgate: **Thank you for putting me in your favs. Thats a total honor, believe me. The cliffy gets resolved in this chapter, so here you go!

**Tamara2187: **You'll see who he was captured by in this chapter . And your comment about Anko was very surprising and true. You'll see what happens soon... Enjoy!

**Hogo-chan: **Oh god am I lazy! But summer is coming soon and updates will be made much faster. I also feel sorry for Iruka, but don't worry, he's just a support character, lol.

**Agrias-101: **Here's your update !

**KuraResa: **You like my writing style? That's actually a very nice compliment, thank you. I think I've improved from chapter to chapter. I hope you like this chapter!

**Silent laugh: **lol. Thanks for writing more than one word! Don't worry, there will be no (depicted) rape in this story... I don't really have a comment on the part about you raping Itachi.. --0. Enjoy!

**Narutofreak360: **Thank you for reading all of the chapters. I'm so glad you like it! The only reason I changed the Hokage thing to Sultan is because of where this story takes place... It's sort of an Aladdin esque time line.

**Uzamaki Liliana: **I would never abandon this story! I just took a small break to work on my other fics . Enjoy!

... :**phew:**... Review replies take forever. But I gladly do them for you. You took the time to review, so I'll take the time to appreciate each one -;;.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto...

**Cerulean Change: Chapter 11**

All he could feel was hard, cold floor underneath him. Semi-consciousness was an annoying state to be in especially for Naruto. He didn't know where he was, how he got there or what was going to happen next; he hated not being in control. It hurt to move or even open his eyes and the healing wound in his arm throbbed endlessly, so he lay still as a stone waiting for a sign of life. He didn't have to wait long for a stirring noise to come from what Naruto thought was his right side. A familiar smooth arm grazed his own as the body shifted.

'Good. At least Sasuke is here with me.'

The other boy's touch only brought a few seconds of comfort to him before he heard yet another sound coming closer to them by the second. He could immediately feel the dark presence of the form walking towards him and his love and instinctively wrapped his aching body around Sasuke to protect him from whoever was coming.

"How cute. The little street rat is protecting his master!" The sinister, almost reptilian voice cut through the air and sent shivers down the blonde's back. "Come on now, wake up my little beauties. Its time to face the crimes you committed."

That got Naruto's attention.

He eased one eye open carefully only to see the one person he feared the most looming over him with a twisted smile on his face. That bastard.

"You little punks got me in a whole lot of trouble! Its time for you to meet _my _Sultan and learn some respect." Sasuke by that time had opened his eyes and greeted the sight with the same petrified manner.

Darco grabbed each of the exhausted boys by their collar and dragged them unceremoniously down the castle corridors, neither of them having the strength or will to fight back. Finally, after eons of hollow footsteps upon marble, Darco stopped in front of a large oak door with the Camnio crest emblazoned into it. He sneered at the two teens.

"I expect both of you to show the utmost of manners in the presence of your future Sultan." Sasuke's eyes widened and his intense glare only increased making Darco chuckle. "Oh? Does that idea offend you, oh prince and heir to the throne?" he cackled once more and pushed open the large doors to reveal an even larger throne room.

Inside, the room was bare and white except for the banners on the walls and the large throne seated in the very middle surrounded by steadfast guards. Naruto knew he wasn't going to like his visit with the High-priest just by the looks of the place. What Darco had said about the supposedly holy man's aspiration disturbed him and he immediately nudged Sasuke, giving him a "Lets get the hell out of here as soon as possible" look... Sasuke only managed a frightened nod before the both of them were plopped in front of the lavish throne. Naruto's fears only escalated when he lookd up.

In the seat sat a man whose only visible body part—his eyes, stared back at them coldly. The look in his evil eyes froze the blood in the young prince's veins as he remembered seeing the same man when he was very young. The frozen statue of a priest stood slowly from his chair and a line formed underneath his cloth as a smirk. He chuckled soft before descending the steps towards his prey. Sasuke was scared shitless and sat unable to move under the petrifying stare of the priest.

The blue and white robed man glided leisurely right up to him, smirk still intact and reached out his hand to touch the boys beautiful face. He lifted the chin of the frozen angel and a smile line creased on his face.

"Yes indeed, you have the eyes of Sarutobi and and the looks of royalty. I do not doubt that you are young Sasuke of Samnoria..." The priest averted his gaze, seeming to just then notice the boy quivering next to his initial prey.

"Oh? And who might this young boy be? An accomplice? ...How cute. I wondered how a bred puppy found its way through these streets. I see now all he needed was a street-smart fox to guide his way..." Naruto fliched at the lowely mention of him. The Sultan's smirk only brightened.

"Well, I for one am very humbled to be in the presence of such royalty, aren't you my young fellow...?" Naruto at that moment realized the man was talking to him, expecting a reply. And seeing the situation he was in he though it better to cooperate then die.

"Y-yes. M-my name is Uzumaki Naruto." At the mention of his name the priest's eye twitched slightly before returning to normal. All of the sudden he took real notice to the boy he labeled as a fox. Taking in his form. All of his smooth charm dissipated in one quick moment as he turned closer to Naruto, eyes colder than ever.

"Who gave you that name?" The harsh, desperate tone in his voice indicated that the blonde had hit a nerve of some sort although Naruto had no clue how.

"I-I don't know... It's just my name." That was a lie. He knew his name for one very good reason—Anko had told it to him years ago. The priest's glare intensified tenfold.

"You would be wise not to lie in my presence. I can be an ally to anyone; but dare become an enemy and the earth will not have time to swallow your wretched remains, boy!" The marble walls reverberated the last of sentence chilling even the stoic guards.

Before Naruto had a chance to gain his voice and reply the sultan quickly ordered them to be taken away from his sight. Two guards instead of Darco hauled the quaking boys away from the empty room.

"Leave me." All the guards hastily followed in suit along with a perplexed Darco. The priest returned to his cushioned seat and slumped down in confusion.

'Uzumaki Naruto... Uzumaki. Where does that name ring a bell? It was the way that scum said it that reminds me of something...' the priest sighed and stared at the spot where the boy once sat, defiant and scared, like he had been all those years ago. 'It wasn't even what he said that makes me confused... It's that look in his eyes--those deep blue eyes that I remember from somewhere... Not many people I have met have had such intense eyes, bearing melancholy and tears to make an ocean. Such intensity in face I should remember, as rare as it is...'

XXXXX

A boy knelt quivering in fear in front of the throne of his Sultan. Beside him knelt his very own father, looking to ground as a peon he had never seen before. He frowned at the sight; he could not derive strength from a man who knekt to another; he wanted to be the one who stood, with everyone below him. But where he knelt he knew that he was just a boy, expendable and useless as a bag of bones.

Slowly he raised his young eyes to see a man of formidable stature and countenance standing before him as if carved in statue. He wanted so badly to be that man, with a glorious gaze and presence that called for all else to cease in his presence. He wanted to be the one to conquer and survive to flaunt his victory. The boy knew from his father that the man standing before him would be the new Sultan of the land, having won a well-fought war against him and the former Sultan. The boy look on at his relative as a failure, losing a battle and bowing like a whipped dog to the man above him. He knew in his heart that one day he would surpass the pitiful fate of his family and take the throne for his own.

The boy looked beyond the golden man to see by his side a young maiden, only half his age if that, sitting quietly as queen. She was a fair one, with skin as pale and beautiful as any snow the boy had seen. Her form was etched out of a story, wondrous and full of life. But all of those features could not come close to describing her beauty once his eyes locked with hers. Upon her face were two cerulean eyes as deep and mysterious as an ocean and as solid as the earth. So intense and bright were her eyes that the boy immediately looked away in fear that he wold be sucked into her ethereal gaze. She was a vision to behold, more worthy for the gods than any mortal man—including the golden warrior posed before him. She was a goddess.

XXXXX

The priest sat up in his chair after recalling his own memories. How could he have been so stupid to not realize it! Those _eyes _were the key and there was no mistaking it. He knew those eyes through many years; he thought about them often; derived strength from them; doing anything he could to make them his. He met those eyes the very same day his father had been executed and he had been made high-priest. He saw the look of empathy rich in those orbs as he was crowned the duty of ruling Camnio at such a young age. That goddess knew he was there to usher in her Sultan's new dynasty and she knew what it had cost him... It cost him his father and it cost him his childhood. But all the greedy boy could think of that day, as he looked on at those eyes instead of his dying father, was the opportunity that lied ahead. He would make the goddess his at any cost...

XXXXX

Times were changing and the boy knew it. He had become a man through years of duty and responsibility for a city. The city of Camnio was his to control—under his Sultan, of course. He had seen many things in the years he ruled so far, toughening him to the very core even at a young adult age. And so it went that the golden warrior he had witnessed as a child was withering with age himself, old unable to give his subjects the zeal of his fierce stance anymore. He was still a young man, but the Sultan was a head-strong fool, always hopeful for peace.

And thats when it happened... One gray day, when the winds rustled at unusually high speeds and the rains hit with ferocity, an army came to challenge the might of Samnoria; to take throne for their own and all that came with it... Including the Cerulean-eyed goddess. The priest knew it was coming as if he forecast the rains... and he still wanted _her_ for his own, so he took notice of the opportunity presented and ceased it.

Messages for help were sent by horse asking to aid the falling Samnorian army. The priest ignored them all, killing the friendly rider and smirking at his plan. He watched from his rain-teared window as off in the distance the golden warrior fell along with his not-so-mighty army... the fool had become soft with age and deserved his demise. The priest cut of his resources and let the brave new general take the city for his own. This new dynasty would usher in his chance at a clean slate so he may take what he had wanted all these years.

Before the war had started, the priest had sent his own messenger to the general of the army. In his message he called for what would soon be the demise of the golden Sultan's era. It had stated:

General Sarutobi of the East,

I am writing as the humble priest and over-seer of the city, Camnio. You wish to campaign against a mighty army and will surely need the support of an ally to ensure your victory. I am proposing to you that in exchange for my armies withdrawal from Samnorian reinforcements that you grant me the continuing position as governing royalty of the city of Camnio and the island surrounding it.

Signed,

High-priest Kazekage of Camnio

Orochimaru

The message was returned almost as quickly as it was sent. The golden age was about to fall, and the age of Sarutobi would begin... All because of a fair maiden, with cerulean eyes to win a war.

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Hehe... I love flashbacks! Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm actually getting really excited about this story again now that the plot is taking off! (And you though there was no plot, heheh.)

Thank you  
Love  
CA


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **I'm so so sorry this took forever to get out! I ended up working on everything BUT this fic all summer long . I hope none of you lost interest by now, because the plot is really taking off in this chapter, hehe.

I know how you folks like to get right into the story, so I put review replies at the bottom. Enjoy! (Are we not supposed to do review replies anymore or something?)

**Warnings:** A little naughtiness in this chapter. And if you haven't gotten the hint by now, it's Slash. The usual profanity warnings apply.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto…

**Cerulean Change: Chapter 12**

A small baby was crying. It had no mother to usher it into the world and it was desperate for the warmth of her womb once again. But there was no warmth to be found in her grasp; she was dead. In the hours of labor she had slowly lost consciousness until, only seconds after he was brought into the world, she collapsed… dead.

Instead of her soft arms and warm breast milk to calm him, all he had was the gruff embrace of another body. His father's. The man was holding him, not knowing whether he hated the newborn or loved him. His heir was finally born, but at the cost of his one true love.

Times were hard, and the day was cold and unforgiving, even in the summer's youth. The cerulean-eyed queen had chosen the worst possible day to have her child because in only hours the great kingdom of Samnoria would be under attack and the safety of their tiny newborn couldn't be assured. The Sultan was at a loss, looking between his crying baby and dead wife. All his generals and chiefs knelt around him solemnly, guards with sad looks upon their faces stood their posts and not a word was uttered beyond the cry of the distressed baby. It was a dark day indeed for the once proud and golden Sultan and he didn't know if he had the strength anymore to lead his armies to victory. The one he loved beyond anything in the world was gone, pale and still beautiful in her bed. And in his arms was the one reason to hope for the future…

So with a final thought, the Sultan reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple necklace. The stone attached to the necklace was of a dull blue color and the band was silver and plain. But as those under the Sultan watched, he lifted the simple band over his baby's head and placed it around his neck.

Immediately, the crying baby stopped and fell silent. The stone was glowing.

The once dull piece lit up magnificently, revealing vibrant blue colors to match the small boy's eyes. And the light only grew stronger as the stone lifted into the air, glowing brightly and matching with a new light on the corner of the room. There, around the pale neck of the fallen queen, was an identical necklace shining brightly and lifting high into the air. Seconds later, it stopped. Everyone but the Sultan was in awe as the light faded and necklaces fell to their original places.

Quietly, the Sultan turned and placed the newborn in the arms of his wife's favorite maiden. The small girl took the boy willingly and cradled it in her arms as her own, eyes still trained on the Sultan. He had moved towards the bed of his late wife, kneeling at its edge.

With a sad sigh he made his last ode to her. "My queen, give us the strength to win the war... Let our love shine on in this newborn so that he may one day rule Samnoria with the fairness of a Sultan." With that, the Sultan took her cold hand into his, kissing it lightly before he moved up to claim the stone around her neck. The small maiden thought she saw a tear creep down his cheek as he retrieved the stone, but he wore a straight face as soon as he turned to face her. He held the item resolutely in hand as he walked back to the maiden and his son.

The Sultan lowered himself down on one knee to become eye-level with the small girl. With a wan smile ghosting his lips, he addressed the nervous maiden.

"My wife loved you as a daughter and you deserve the same respect from me..." He slowly lifted the matching necklace over her head and placed it around her neck softly. "I ask that you take care of my son as if he were your own. Love him as if he were your own. This necklace represents the bond between two souls, as strong as love. As long as you have this you will know where one another are and if they are safe." He smiled now, looking down at his wide-eyed son. "This stone will heal you and keep you well. But you must always treat the other wearer with the love and care you treat this stone." Anko nodded without comprehending any of what he had said. It was enough to be in a room with all the war generals of the kingdom, but now the Sultan wanted _her _to look after his heir as if _she _was it's mother?

"Yes-s, s-sir," she stammered out finally. He smiled warmly once more before turning to his comrades. Five other maidens helped Anko take the newborn to his nursery to be fed and taken care of. 'I hope… we win this war,' she thought to herself as she looked down upon the smiling face of the newborn.

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Sasuke had seen a dungeon before, but never had he stepped foot into one. Now he had the treat of stepping foot into one and staying there at the same time. He and Naruto lay side by side on the cold, cobblestone floor. The exhausted blonde had fallen asleep hours ago, but even fatigue couldn't helped Sasuke sleep, for how afraid he was. He didn't have to ask any questions at all. He knew why he was here; why he was captive.

Samnoria was in trouble…

For the thousandth time he tried to put that thought to rest, as well as his body. But he just… couldn't. The simple in and out of Naruto's chest against his back was calming and even the boy's shallow puffs of breath felt nice on his skin. But none of it outweighed his heavy mind and uncomfortable position.

'Damnit… I can't let this happen! The way he looked at Naruto, I've seen at look on that snake before! We're in trouble, fuck, _he's _in trouble.' Instinctively, Sasuke pulled in closer to his friend, not wanting to think about what was coming next. What started off as an innocent adventure was spiraling down into a fatal situation.

'If only Anko or Iruka were here… They'd save us.'

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Iruka stood attentively at his post. His arms and legs were worn and tired from hours spent searching for his young friends. His face was sweaty and pale and his normally firm stature was slumped and defeated. He hated having to go to work; he was too worried to work, damnit! But he also knew that, for as much as he cared, Anko was more worried than him over their disappearance. She lived a waitress's life, yes, but only to escape her identity. At least that's what she had told Iruka at one point. He had no clue what it meant when she'd go to the weapons shop and he didn't want to push any buttons by asking. All he knew was that, as they searched, Anko's eyes were crying and her body was shaking on the verge of breaking down. Naruto meant something more to her than a friend, but the history lesson would have to wait.

A soldier of the same rank marched up to Iruka dutifully, stopping with a stiff clack and a brash smirk on his features. "Evening, Iruka. Time to switch posts, eh?" he said rhetorically.

Iruka nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Where to?"

"Ha! You get the dungeon shift today, mate!" he exclaimed merrily.

"Wonderful."

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The sea was as dark as the night before, but the moving figure paid no mind to its beauty this night. Wearing clothes that cloaked itself in the bluish darkness, it ran in spurts of ten feet at a time, displaying speed and agility only earned by those highly trained. Within only minutes the figure made it to it's destination, only a few hundred yards off the coast.

The pub was lone and old, situated by itself near the sea and giving off the only light for a mile around. As the figure moved to its rear entrance the laughter and merriments voiced indoors became louder. The silent figure had come back to the shameless and decadent pub for only one reason; an item. And after only a moment's stay, it was in and out of the place with the item in hand. It was a simple necklace the figure held that looked not only ordinary, but completely useless. But the holder of the necklace grasped it tightly as it made it's way, knowing the stone's true importance. The sounds and laughter from inside the warm pub grew fainter by the second as the figure rushed off towards town. It was their last chance to find what they were looking for and after years of dormancy, the cloaked figure prayed the ancient magic would still work.

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Naruto had no home. His only home after leaving Samnoria was with Sasuke, and even that home seemed worried and unsettling. He had no escape or shelter from the randomly harsh drama they were now facing, except for his sleep. His body was enervated from the inside out; totally worn out and ragged and he didn't care anymore that it was a smelly pile of hay he was sleeping on instead of a warm bed in Anko's home. He really didn't care nor think of the future, or anything for that matter beyond his dungeon cell and the one he loved currently propped against him. It was just too damn exhausting.

Unfortunately, Sasuke was cold and probably not as blissfully unaware as he was. Even in his sleep he felt Sasuke rustling around in his arms, awake and probably thinking hard. The only person who kept him safe was now worrying Naruto, so he decided to fully wake up and address the problem.

Naruto poked Sasuke's side lightly. "Sasuke? What's…the matter?" he asked shyly, not expecting the abrupt and harsh response it received. Sasuke was obviously awake.

"What's the matter? What's the _matter? _In case you haven't realized it yet, we are in a dungeon, Naruto!" He turned in Naruto's arms to express his point further as he continued. "A dungeon, in the enemies castle, and I am the fucking prince of the opposing kingdom! Please, tell me what _isn't _wrong?" There went the ignorant bliss.

"Oh," was all Naruto could offer in return. "But how do you know they are our enemies and it's not just a big mistake?" he questioned further with a scrunched brow. Sasuke sighed and leaned in to capture Naruto's lips for a brief moment, noticing the worried expression on his face.

"Look… I don't want any of this to be this way. And I certainly don't want to see that look on your face, got it?" Naruto perked. "But, we have to face the facts, Naruto. We're fucked."

"Yeah, that's the part I don't get," Naruto clarified obviously. "Just… spell it out."

Sasuke nodded and continued. "Kazekage is and has always been after Samnoria… My father was always just—optimistic about it. Maybe he thought the bastard couldn't do anything or maybe he was not paying attention to it—I don't know. But I do know that Kazekage Orochimaru is crazy and also hungry for power." Naruto chuckled at that.

"Wow, uh, he sounds like a normal villain to me!" Naruto sniggered. "I mean he looks evil, is supposed to be "good", and is crazy and hungry for power…" Naruto counted the reasons on his fingers. "Man, your dad must be stu--. Sorry…" Naruto trailed off, having probably said too much.

Sasuke's expression softened. "No, you're probably right… Father has had a lot on his plate… Too much if you ask me. I guess he just decided to let Kazekage do what he wanted as long as it was, you know, within reason. Whatever. The point is we're still fucked!" Sasuke said exasperated. Naruto groaned in defeat, sighing into the stale air. Turning, he pulled Sasuke's back to him again, only tighter.

"Stop worrying about it… We'll be fine."

"But--"

"Shh." Naruto cut him off with his lips. Silencing any more conversation, he moved his right hand around to Sasuke's silk-woven shirt, diving underneath and rubbing slow circles around his chest and stomach. Sasuke moaned into the kiss, immediately forgetting whatever he was going to say next. He turned after a few moments of melting into Naruto's lips and climbed up on top of him, taking control of the kiss. When they broke apart for air he began kissing to the side of the tan, rough neck before him. He made his way to the delicate crook and sucked and bit at the sensitive skin there, eliciting small groans from Naruto.

It was the first time in days they were alone and Sasuke felt stupid for not thinking of this sooner… But damn was he horny. He could already feel his heated erection rubbing against his loves, dying for release. Hopefully, if the guards didn't pass by soon, they'd be granted that one small pleasure.

Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't give a flying fuck about the guards. He was stressed and tired… and horny. Ever since he helped the prince escape from the castle, he didn't have a chance to use his right hand, and was always hoping to get alone time with the raven-haired beauty. And here he was now, alone and horny with his love sitting on his chest making out with his neck.

'Fuck the guards…'

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Kazekage Orochimaru knew who the boy was now. There was no mistaking that face, those features and even the dull chain he had tucked around his neck. Orochimaru was not one to delay on any whim, and as soon as he thoughts took him to that conclusion he leapt from his chair with a purely evil look upon his reptilian face that startled the surrounding guards. Without a word he strode out of the large throne room with anticipation lining his grinning features in the form of sweat beads.

'Na…ru…to.'

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As he walked down to the dungeons with slow and languid steps, Iruka could hear a small noise vibrating out from the dungeon cells. Without much care towards what or who the noise came from, he found his way to the prisoner log, lazily going over the list of prisoners. The piece of parchment made the soldier do a double-take.

'Wha… what? Only _two _prisoners? What the hell?' He read the measly number over in his head again before glancing down to see who the two lucky ones were. What he saw there made him do more than a double-take. Scrawled down on the parchment in terrible handwriting were two very important names.

'Sasuke… Naruto!' He choked on his own breath. "S-Sasuke and… Naruto!" Iruka couldn't even process that information before his feet found new energy and carried him at a fast pace to the cells.

The noise got louder as he approached the cells. It sounded almost like… moans.

'What the hell is this now?' There was no mistaking it. As Iruka got closer to the main cells he could hear the unmistakable sounds of moaning… and not the usual "Oh-woe-is-me-I'm-going-to-die" moans either. These were… pleasurable moans.

Without much thought he peered into the main cell where the two prisoners were staying… Bad idea.

Lying on the bed of hay, stark naked was Naruto. Over him was Sasuke, also naked and glistening with sweat. His black hair was damp and sticking to his face as he bent over Naruto's midriff. Iruka couldn't make out completely what they were doing, but he had an idea considering Naruto's loud groans and whispered encouragements. He was having trouble processing things today, so for a few moments Iruka just stood there, shocked and totally weirded out. It only took him a few seconds to get a real view of what was going on. Naruto bucked his hips in pleasure and both boys shifted to the right slightly, showing Iruka… more than he wanted to see. Sasuke had Naruto deep in his mouth and didn't seem to be letting up as he sucked greedily up and down on the erect shaft.

Iruka had had enough of that. Actually, he wanted to barf.

With a light tap and a stiff clearing of his throat, he got their attention somehow. It took three tries to do it though.

"Uhh, hi," he said almost casually. Naruto looked up, saw Iruka, and immediately his eye dilated in embarrassment as he pushed Sasuke off of him.

"Iruka! Shit!" He grabbed the nearest article of clothing, which happened to be Sasuke's boxers, and jumped into them. Sasuke's pale body was ten shades of crimson as he grabbed Naruto's boxers, also in the heat of the moment when he noticed the guard.

Iruka covered his eyes with his hands shamefully. "Uhh, no need to explain boys. I'm just… happy to see you alive?" Both Naruto and Sasuke perked up.

"Alive! Yes! Wait, how the hell did you get in here?" Naruto questioned with an accusing finger as he pulled up his jumper up his legs, off-balance and almost falling over. 'So much for getting off…' he added to himself as an afterthought.

It finally dawned on Iruka where exactly he was. "How did I?-- How did _you _two get in here! One moment we're all in the shop and next, you disappear and end up in the castle dungeons! This is too much! What were you doing? Why didn't I think of this? Why are you here? What's going on?" Sasuke's face fell into a perturbed glance along with Naruto's as they both watched Iruka go into Mother Hen mode and have a high-pitched conversation with himself.

"Uhh, Iruka? Mind letting us out now?" Sasuke finally asked flatly. Iruka looked at him sideways and then jumped into action almost immediately.

"Ah! Yes! Of course! I'm sure this was all a mistake and the Kazekage just doesn't know about--"

"No. You're wrong," Naruto cut in. "That bastard's the one who put us down here! Wait, and you work for him?" Naruto asked with displeasure thick in his tone. "Why didn't you free us earlier when we were up there getting interrogated by the low-life!" Iruka's face fell apologetically.

"I'm so sorry! I just got here only an hour ago and Anko and I were searching for you and... Point is if I knew you were here, I'd have come sooner." He said lastly while opening the cell door for the two eager boys. He smiled as he creaked open the rusted metal bars, admitting the prisoners their freedom.

"Now, what was this about Kazekage putting you in here? I'm sure we can go straighten it out right now…?" Iruka opened his eyes from his grin to see that both boys were standing there stone still with petrified looks on their faces. Before he could react, Iruka heard a voice behind him.

"Yes… why don't we straighten this out, hmmm?" Orochimaru grinned sinisterly.

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I can't help but stop on cliffies! I really hoped you liked this chapter and I promise the next one won't be as late as last time. Please review and I have your review replies from last chapter right here!

**Scroll down and find your name:**

**Shizuka Ketsurui: **It's awesome? Thank you! And yes, I can be a little confusing sometimes. I'm working on de-cluttering my chapters though, so this one was hopefully a little less confusing.

**NejiGirl: **Favorites? What an honor! And yes, I will definitely keep writing!

**Hogo-chan: **This summer things did the OPPOSITE of picking up, lol. I basically ignored this poor fic. Ah well, here's to capping off the summer in style! Thanks for the review babe and I hope you liked this chapter.

**Tamara2187: **Yeah, alcohol has its way with us from time to time… Hmm, lots of people seem to think this chapter was confusing. Gotta work on that… Anywho, thank you so much for reviewing and hope you liked this chapter!

**Silent laugh: **Well, so far I've failed at the "regular updates" part. But I'm glad you are enjoying it and leaving "substantial reviews", haha. Hope you liked it!

**Uzamaki Liliana: **I know it was confusing, but trust me, it was all for plot purposes. Most things will make sense after these next few chapters. All your questions will be answered. Thanks for the review!

**Agrias-101: **Yes! I did! And I did again! Haha. Hope you liked it.

**ruby-sama aura-chan the neko-jin's yami**Wow, you have a looong S/N. lol. I like the dual personality thing, it's interesting. And I'm glad you really liked it so far, I'll try to keep delivering. Thanks for the review!

**Seto's Darkness: **I love candy! And thank you! Don't we all love SasuNaru? Oh, and a little correction. I'm not an authoress (although it looks like it, I must admit), but an author. Thank you for the review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Weirdo-bagel: **Hey there! It's weird because I know you now, haha. Hope this chapter answered some questions for ya and also left you going "Gaah! I hate you! I hate cliffies!" Because that's my job. Hugs and everything. Tell me if you liked this chapter!


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